Family is forever
by here4rizzles
Summary: Sequel to 'Love makes a family' and 'Home is in your arms'. Jane and Maura and their two adopted daughters, Riley and Lizzie. Motherly love, some angst and major amounts of fluff. "A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." - Agatha Christie
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Good morning, honey," Maura greeted Lizzie with a sweet smile as the girl walked into the kitchen. She opened her arms and pulled Lizzie into her lap as she sat at one of the stools at the kitchen counter. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Lizzie answered as she snuggled into Maura's arms.

But Maura saw that she was just as tired as last night when she cried herself to sleep in Jane's arms. She sighed when she thought about it.

" _You're not yourself, Lizzie," Jane said to the girl they just tucked into bed, "what's the matter lately?"_

 _Lizzie just shrugged._

 _"Can you tell me what you're feeling?" Jane asked softly, her hand making soft strokes on Lizzie's belly. "What are you feeling, honey?"_

" _I don't know," Lizzie answered as she looked up at her mother._

 _Maura sighed and sat down next to Jane, leaning forward to kiss Lizzie's forehead. "Is your throat still hurting?"_

" _No."_

" _Do you feel sad?"_

 _Lizzie shrugged again. "I think so."_

" _Do you know how to make that better?" Jane whispered with a sweet smile._

" _No." Lizzie's bottom lip quivered at her answer and Maura saw tears welling up in her light brown eyes._

 _Jane swallowed and continued her comforting strokes on Lizzie's stomach. "You think snuggles will help?"_

 _Lizzie nodded and a few tears fell onto her cheeks as she sat up and climbed into Jane's lap, snuggling securely into Jane's strong arms. Jane pulled the girl tightly to her chest and kissed the top of her head. "I wish you could explain," she whispered softly, "then maybe I could help."_

" _I'm sorry, Mama," Lizzie said softly, her voice weak and laced with tears._

" _Oh, it's not your fault." Jane smiled and rubbed Lizzie's back as she softly rocked them back and forth. "I just want you to be happy." She sighed deeply and stared at the wall, resting her chin on top of Lizzie's head that rested on her chest. "All we ever want is for you to be happy."_

 _Lizzie didn't reply. She just nuzzled her face into Jane's chest where she cried softly. Tears of exhaustion, grief, fear… Maura wished she knew._

" _You can talk to us, honey," Jane whispered, looking down at her crying daughter in her arms, "Just say whatever's on your mind. You can tell us anything you want."_

 _Maura smiled a sad smile and nodded. "Anything, my love. Nothing is stupid or weird. We're here to listen."_

" _I just don't know!" Lizzie cried, shifting to hide her face and front into Jane's chest, clutching her little hands on Jane's shirt._

 _Maura sighed and kissed Jane's cheek. "She's exhausted," Maura whispered, softly squeezing her arm around Jane's waist._

 _Jane nodded. She was. She had been for a long time. Even since she got strep throat on vacation in Florida, the girl hadn't been herself. "Something's not right," Jane whispered back, not audible for the crying girl in her lap._

" _We're taking her for a blood test tomorrow." Maura kept her soft strokes on Lizzie's cheek and rested her head on Jane's shoulder. "We have to rule out physical illness before we conclude anything psychological."_

" _You think she's sick?" Jane's hand tactically went up to Lizzie's ear, stroking her head in comfort, but really keeping her out of the conversation._

 _Maura shrugged. "I don't know. But ever since that flu and strep throat, she hasn't been herself. It could be Infectious Mononucleosis, but that's just speculation. It could also be something worse, but we shouldn't think like that."_

 _Jane nodded but shook her head as she realized what Maura said. "Mono? You mean the kissing disease? She's five! How'd she get that?"_

 _Maura chuckled. "It's called 'kissing disease' because the virus is transmitted through exchanging saliva. She could've gotten it in a lot of ways. It's very common among children, although five is a little young."_

" _But it's harmless, right?"_

" _Yes. There's no cure, but she just has to sit it out until the Epstein Barr virus leaves her system."_

" _So, mono's the best case scenario here."_

 _Maura took a deep breath and looked at Jane with concern in her eyes. "Yes."_

 _She hoped it was just a virus and that Lizzie would get over it and back to her old self soon. She missed that little sunshine bouncing around the house, being adorable and making everyone around her smile._

" _I love you, my sweet girl," Jane whispered after a kiss on Lizzie's blond curls._

 _Maura smiled a sweet smile and rubbed Lizzie's back. "You have to go to sleep, honey. Maybe you'll feel better tomorrow."_

 _Lizzie nodded and sucked on her thumb, not moving away from Jane's arms. "You gonna stay?" she whispered, tears still falling down her cheeks._

" _Would you like us to stay?"_

 _Lizzie nodded again and clung tighter to Jane's shirt. Maura smiled and wrapped her arm tighter around Jane's waist to bring them back to relax against the wall. She rested her head in the crook of Jane's neck and looked intently at Lizzie who was slowly closing her eyes. Maura kept soothingly stroking her cheek and hair, lulling the girl to sleep._

" _Sleep, honey," Jane whispered softly, "the world's gonna look a whole lot different tomorrow." She rubbed Lizzie's back and Maura saw her daughter slowly drifting off. "The sun will rise again, and everything is different in the daylight. The flowers will bloom again and the birds will sing…" Lizzie sniffled and Jane wiped the last of the girl's tears._

 _Maura remembered how her own mother used those exact same words to comfort her when she was little, on those rare occasions she was actually home to put her daughter to bed. No matter what, there's always a new day and everything looks different in the morning._

" _Tomorrow's a new day,' Jane whispered, her soft voice comforting Lizzie. "Tomorrow's a new day and it'll all be different, I promise."_

 _Lizzie stirred in her arms and Jane realized she had to keep on talking to lull the girl to sleep. "Do you know how much we love you?" she whispered, gently rubbing Lizzie's back. "We love you so much, little girl. You're gonna feel better, I promise. Mommy and me are gonna do everything to make you feel better."_

Maura shook her head and pulled herself out of her thoughts. She needed to take a blood test. They could go to the doctor but that could take weeks. She could easily take this test by herself in the lab. She knew she wasn't allowed to do so technically, but Lizzie's health was way more important than the rules of the lab where she was the boss anyway.

"Honey, I'm going to take you with me to work today and we're going to take some tests, okay?"

"Why?"

Maura smiled and brushed Lizzie's hair back. "We're just going to make sure everything's okay and nothing is wrong with your body."

She didn't even protest. Another sign that something was wrong. Maura sighed and kissed the top of Lizzie's head as she pulled the girl close in her arms. She truly hoped it was nothing terrible.

"Morning," Jane walked into the kitchen, her hair still wet from the shower. She leaned in to press her lips against Maura's in a sweet kiss. "Gorgeous." She smiled and moved to kiss the top of Lizzie's head. "How's my little peanut?"

"I'm not a peanut," Lizzie pouted softly.

Jane chuckled. "Glad to hear that." She walked into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee. "Are you feeling better?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I think so."

"I'm taking her for some blood tests today," Maura said while she rubbed Lizzie's back.

"Yeah," Jane whispered as she leaned against the counter and looked at her youngest daughter with a concerned look on her face, "that seems a good idea."

Maura actually had a day off to spend with the girls, but Riley could spend some hours alone while she took Lizzie with her. The girls still had summer vacation and Jane and Maura already went back to work a few days ago, but they switched off as many hours as possible so they could spend more time with their daughters and they wouldn't be home alone or with Angela all the time.

Around lunchtime, Lizzie's blood test was taken and Maura had taken her to grab some take-out for lunch to bring home to Riley, who was of course in the backyard Facetiming with Alex, the boy she met on the beach in Florida.

"Hey, honey," Maura greeted her oldest daughter while she put the food on the garden table. "We brought lunch."

"Oh, good." Riley smiled at her mother and sister before turning her attention back to the screen of her phone. "Alex, I gotta go have lunch with my mom and Liz," she said, leaning back in her chair.

Maura couldn't hear his reply, but it made Riley smile and blush, eliciting a sweet laugh from her mother. The girl was smitten, even though she hadn't admitted it yet. After a dozen goodbyes, Riley finally put her phone away and joined Maura and Lizzie at the table. "How was the blood test, Liz?" she asked her sister. "Did it hurt?"

Lizzie shrugged and swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "Just a little."

Riley smiled but her smile fell when she saw the exhaustion in her little sister. She turned to Maura next to her and whispered, "is she gonna be okay?"

Maura smiled a sad smile and looked at Lizzie on the other side of the table. "I hope so."

"I kinda miss the old Lizzie." Riley sighed and relaxed against the back of her chair.

"We all do, honey." Maura smiled while she tucked a strand of hair into Riley's ponytail. "We'll have the results in a few hours."

Riley nodded and reached over to ruffle Lizzie's blond curls. "You're gonna be fine, sis. Mommy's gonna make you all better."

Lizzie nodded and Maura could only hope Riley was right. She would do anything to make Lizzie better. Anything. "Lizzie, you're going to take a nap after you finish your lunch, okay?"

"But Mommy, you said I could stop the naps," Lizzie whined without much energy.

"Yes sweetheart, but I think you'll feel better after a nap."

"'Cause I'm so tired?"

"Yes."

"Okay," Lizzie shrugged and turned her attention back to her lunch.

It didn't take long for Lizzie to finish her sandwich and Maura didn't even wait to finish her own before taking the girl to bed. She tucked her youngest daughter in, told her quiet words of love and kissed her cheek before going back downstairs to her oldest daughter.

"What if Lizzie has mono, Mom?" Riley asked, taking a sip of her milk.

Maura sighed and sat down next to Riley, stroking her back while she walked past her. "She'll have to take a lot of rest. The younger you are, the less you'll suffer from it, so I think it won't take too long. But she's definitely up for a tough time."

"If it's mono."

"Yes, indeed."

"Could it be something worse?" Riley looked at her mother and Maura saw concern in her bright blue eyes. She found it endearing that Riley cared so much about her little sister. Even though they had only been sisters for less then a year, they were inseparable and loved each other endlessly.

Maura smiled a soothing smile and caressed Riley's cheek. "Let's just stay positive, okay? We'll get the results soon."

Riley nodded. "Anything I can do to make her feel better?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Maura smiled a loving smile and leaned forward to kiss Riley's forehead. "You're already so sweet to her." She chuckled at Riley's blush and leaned back to finish her milk. "Due to the lack of energy, she's craving a lot of physical attention. She's quite emotional and seeking for both physical and emotional comfort."

Riley's expression was blank and she stared at her mother. "Mom. I mean something you don't need a degree in psychology for."

Maura laughed at her daughter's tone that was so similar to Jane's. "Hugs, kisses, watching a movie, playing a game… Stuff like that."

"I can do that."

"I know."

Riley wore a content smile as she grabbed her buzzing phone, smiling brighter when she answered a text.

"Alex?"

Riley nodded and didn't turn her attention away from the screen of her phone.

"How is he?"

"Fine." She looked up at Maura and shifted in her chair to face her. "He's trying to visit Boston but they don't have a lot of money… So he can't pay for the trip."

"I'd be happy to help out with that," Maura offered, knowing how much Riley wanted Alex to visit Boston from Worcester.

She shook her head. "I already told him I wanted to pay half from my allowance but ehm…" she sighed and hesitated for a few moments, "that still isn't enough."

"So they really are rather short on money then?" Maura asked carefully.

"Yeah. You know the beach house they were at in Florida?"

Maura nodded.

"It's from his aunt and uncle. I mean… It's just Alex and his dad and they hadn't been on a vacation in years."

"I'm sorry, honey." Maura patted Riley's arm and saw that it hurt her daughter. "It's unfair, isn't it?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Riley looked up at Maura and she saw in her eyes that she hit the right spot. "We have so much money and he has like… nothing. Alex's dad is a middle school teacher and apparently they don't really make lot of money. His dad can barely pay for his school and even with Alex working as a pizza deliverer, they just…" Riley sighed and fumbled with her phone. "They have to try really hard to even buy clothes and food."

Maura smiled a sad smile and reached over to stroke Riley's cheek with her thumb. "I know," she whispered. "The world is so unfair sometimes."

"Yeah," Riley answered, her voice an even softer whisper, "I just wanna give him all our money but I know we can't do that."

"I'm more than happy to help them out in any way," Maura offered again.

Riley smiled at her mother. "Thanks. I'll tell him."

"You really like him, don't you?" Maura expected Riley to tell her that they were just friends, but instead Riley blushed and averted her gaze.

"Yeah," Riley whispered, smiling a shy smile. "But I don't know if he likes me too."

"Honey," Maura placed her hand on top of Riley's, silently asking her to look at her, "he's been chatting with you for hours these past few days. Guys don't do that if they don't really like someone."

"Really?" Riley's eyes sparkles and her face lit up.

Maura laughed and leaned forward to kiss her daughter's forehead while she got up from her chair. "Yes, really."

This was the first time Riley felt like this for a boy and Maura could tell she was overwhelmed and a little confused. She was usually a little uncomfortable about men. Her father abused her in terrible ways and he exposed her to another man that abused her in other, horrible ways and because of that, Riley was uncomfortable around men in general. It wasn't a big problem and she pulled through, but she would always be more comfortable around females. Which is why the crush on Alex was scaring her a little.

Maura thought about talking to her while she cleared the table, but she decided to leave it for now. Maura had the tendency to smother her a little, with all the good intentions of course, she just wanted to protect her daughter. But she knew Riley needed some time in this. She would probably need some time to figure this out for herself before her mothers pitched in with loving advice.

While Riley helped Maura clear away lunch and put the dishes in the dishwasher, Maura heard a notification on her laptop and rushed towards it, thinking it would probably be the test results from Lizzie's blood test.

Maura held her breath and shook her hands down her sides. She couldn't even open the notification. All the worst-case scenarios were racing through her mind and she desperately tried to stay positive, but she failed. Anemia. Leukemia. Asthma. Depression. Unresolved grief. She shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Mom?" Riley said softly, walking up next to Maura. "What's wrong?"

Maura sighed. "The test results just came in."

"Oh…" Riley saw the anxiety on her mother's face and wrapped her skinny arms around Maura's waist. "It's gonna be okay," she said softly while she squeezed Maura's side, resting her head sweetly against Maura's upper arm. "You said it yourself."

Maura smiled and felt tears burning in her eyes as she wrapped her own arms around her oldest daughter. "When did we get to the point where you have to comfort me, huh?" she whispered, looking down at the girl that snuggled into her side.

Riley laughed. "When did we get to the point where you sound like Ma?"

"She taught me well." Maura smirked and kissed the top of Riley's head.

"Open it, Mom," Riley whispered. "It'll be okay."

Maura smiled and moved her shaking hands to the touchpad of her laptop, clicking twice to open the notification. She scanned the results with her eyes and threw her head back in relief.

"What? What?" Riley searched for an explanation herself, but didn't understand the complication terms. "Epst… Epstein Barr? What's that?"

"Mono." Maura smiled and kissed Riley's forehead, feeling like she could finally breathe again. Nothing was truly wrong with her little girl. She caught bad virus and would be out of it for a few more weeks, possibly months, but the virus was rather harmless.

Riley sighed in relief as well and smiled up at her mother. "That's good, isn't it? She'll be better soon?"

"Well, not soon… It's a recent infection. But she'll be better."

Riley nodded and didn't break the embrace, relishing in the physical love for a few more moments. "It really could've been bad, couldn't it?"

Maura sighed and contemplated what she should tell Riley. "She recently got some unexplainable bruises. I was afraid of childhood leukemia."

"Mom, that's cancer." 

"Yes," Maura turned her head and brushed Riley's hair back, looking into bright blue eyes. "But that's not the case. The results would be through the roof if it were."

Riley nodded and Maura saw great relief in the girl. She pulled her close and wrapped both her arms tightly around her. "She's going to be okay. Before we know it, she'll be back to the old Lizzie again."

Riley tried to pull away but Maura held on, kissing the side of Riley's head. "I love you, sweetheart," she whispered. "I'm proud of you."

Riley chuckled and rested her head against Maura's shoulder. "For what?"

"For being strong." Maura smiled as she pulled back and looked into light blue eyes, brushing Riley's brown hair back. "You've grown so much."

"No way, I'm ridiculously short. I'm the shortest in my class and the soccer team!"

Maura laughed and kissed Riley's forehead. "You know very well what I mean, young lady."

Riley chuckled and dodged a playful tickle from her mother. "Yeah I know."

"I'm going to take you shopping this week, Riley," Maura said while she closed her laptop and grab her phone to inform Jane on the latest news.

"Shopping? Why?"

"Your shoes are worn out and you need new shorts."

Riley sighed but she nodded. Riley, in sharp contrast to Lizzie, liked to go shopping. Lizzie whined and didn't want to try on anything, but Riley rather enjoyed it as long as they didn't go to fancy boutiques.

Maura smiled and dialed her wife's number. The phone rang a few times and went to voicemail, which probably meant Jane was in interrogation. Maura texted her to give her a call when she was ready, but Jane didn't call her back.

She waited a few hours and called her several times, but she didn't pick up. She woke Lizzie from her nap and settled her in front of the TV after she explained what was wrong with her. The girl was very disappointed to hear she would be very tired for at least the next month and Maura had to comfort her through the entire movie.

Eventually, she got worried and decided to call the homicide department at BPD. Jane would never let this much time pass without calling her back, especially if she knew Lizzie's test results would come in. A receptionist picked up and put her through to sergeant Korsak.

"Hello, sergeant," Maura greeted him, standing up from the couch to talk a bit more private, "I've been trying to reach Jane, but she's not answering."

"You haven't heard?" he asked, sounding surprised.

Maura immediately felt her throat closing up in fear at Korsak's concerned tone. "No, I haven't."

"She's at the hospital."

"What?"

"Nothing big, just a fractured wrist when she tackled a suspect. She should be back soon."

Maura sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Tackling a suspect?"

"Yeah. You know Jane, she doesn't let anyone get away."

"Yes," Maura closed her eyes and felt anger burning in her chest, "I know Jane."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jane pulled up her car in front of the house and turned off the engine, preparing herself for Maura's reaction. She wouldn't be pleased to find out she chased a suspect herself and didn't leave it to the team.

It wasn't that bad. Yes, her wrist hurt at first, but she had a cast and it was fine now. She would have to leave it on for four to six weeks and not push too much pressure on it, so partly desk duty would be necessary.

As soon as she walked into the house, she saw the expression on Maura's face and knew that she was angry with her. "Hey," she greeted her, shy and careful.

"Hey?" Maura put her hands on her hips and stepped towards Jane who stood awkwardly in the living room. "I have to hear from _Korsak_ that you're in the hospital and you come home and say 'hey'?"

"What did you want me to say?" Jane asked as careful as possible, not wanting to upset Maura any further right now.

"Oh, I don't know, an apology?

"You're not exactly giving me a chance, Maura."

"You had a chance the minute you walked into the hospital! Why didn't you call? Why didn't you pick up your phone when I called you?"

"It's just a broken wrist, Maura. I'm fine."

Maura sighed and crossed her arms. "Do you have any idea how this feels for me?"

"No, I don't. I'm sorry, Maura." Jane's tone was soft and sweet, hoping to take Maura's anger away. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls. I was in the hospital getting a cast on my wrist and I just… I didn't hear my phone and…" Jane sighed and saw that Maura's anger wasn't fading. "I'm sorry."

Maura shook her head and walked towards the kitchen where she grabbed some items from the fridge for dinner. "Maybe you'd like to know that our daughter has mononucleosis."

"Mono?" Jane felt like a weight lifted off her chest. She knew how worried Maura was about Lizzie and she knew that mono was annoying and horrible, but harmless. "That's good, right?"

Maura shrugged. "She's sleeping again. She took an hour long nap this afternoon."

Jane pursed her lips and carefully approached her wife while she fumbled with her cast. "I really am sorry, Maur."

Maura sighed and stopped her activities to look at Jane. "I don't want you out on the streets anymore," Maura said softly, looking into Jane's eyes with anger and care.

"What? That's not your decision, Maura."

"No?" Maura's attitude turned defensive again and she placed her hand on the kitchen counter. "It's my decision that I don't want to take our kids to your funeral!"

"That won't happen!" Jane tried to take Maura's hands but Maura moved away. Jane felt a sting of hurt in her chest at the rejection. "Maura, it's just a broken wrist. I'm fine."

"Jane, you were reckless today. Stupid."

"What?" Jane felt anger burning in the pit of her stomach and knew that she was starting to get upset. Maura wasn't usually like this. Yes, she got upset with her when she got hurt on the job, but never like this. "Stupid?"

"Yes!" Maura raised her voice and Jane saw anger burning in her hazel eyes. "And I don't want you out there!"

"So what, you want me to quit my job?" Jane raised her hands in the air, as her voice grew louder and angrier. She knew Lizzie wouldn't wake up, but she didn't know where Riley was and she didn't want to know what would happen if she heard them. 

"Maybe!"

"You can't ask that from me, Maura!"

"I'm asking you to stay alive, Jane!" Maura had tears shimmering in her eyes that still screamed anger. "And clearly, you're having a hard time doing that while you're out there."

"I'm a detective. I'm a _good_ detective," Jane said, her voice softer but still angry. "That's who I am. That's my life."

"No. You are Jane. You're my wife and you're Riley and Lizzie's mother." Maura's voice still screamed anger but she lowered her tone while tears started trickling down her cheeks. " _That's_ your life. THIS is your life! I can't take the fear of knowing that you are being reckless out there. I can't take the fear that creeps up on me every time I hear Korsak's voice on the phone! I can't take it, Jane!"

Jane swallowed hard and stepped away from Maura. "Maybe you should've thought about that before you married a detective."

Her throat closed up with tears and she grabbed her keys before she walked out of the house and hurried towards her car. She opened the door and sat behind the wheel, but didn't turn the engine on. She rested her head back against the headrest and took a deep, shaky breath, desperately trying not to break down.

Maura knew this when she married her. They had arguments about the same subject before, but never, ever had Maura been asking her to stay off the streets. She never asked her to change who she was. She never called her stupid like that. Jane was hurt and disappointed. Maura hurt her in her vulnerable place and she knew it. Jane loved her job. Before she got together with Maura, her job was all she had and she drowned herself in it. She was a detective. Yes, she was also a wife and mother, but being a detective was an important part of her and she couldn't believe Maura didn't seem to support that part anymore. She felt betrayed and hurt.

Jane wiped her cheeks and started the car, driving off to somewhere she hadn't decided yet. What if Maura didn't want her anymore? What if Maura was tired of being married to a detective? What if she really couldn't take the fear anymore and decided to end it? God, what if she was done with her? What if this was the trigger Maura needed to end it?

Jane almost drove off the road at that realization. She had to pull the car over to a random parking lot and broke down into heartbreaking sobs. She clutched her chest and leaned forward to rest her forehead on the steering wheel, crying her eyes and heart out in fear and anger. What if this was it?

She was nothing without Maura. Life was nothing without Maura. Her life was Maura, Riley, Lizzie, her family and her work. If one of those things got taken away… She didn't know what to do.

When she finally composed herself, she decided to go back to BPD where she drowned herself in unnecessary and boring paperwork, simply trying to distract herself. She could only type with one hand so it took her longer than usual, but she didn't even mind. She didn't leave the precinct until it was after midnight.

She drove back home and sat in her car, contemplating what she should do. Maura was probably still angry with her. She was still angry with Maura. It wasn't a good time to talk. Not yet.

She walked inside and took off her shoes and jacket before lying down on the couch, covering her eyes as a slight headache announced itself. After a few moments of silence, soft footsteps walked down the stairs and Jane expected Maura, but she sat up to see Riley walking towards her, looking shy and insecure.

"Ma?" she whispered, standing awkwardly behind the couch.

"Hey, honey." Jane smiled a sad smile and patted the spot next to her on the couch, inviting her daughter to sit down.

Riley sat and took a deep breath. "What's going on, Ma?" she whispered, looking at Jane with tears in her eyes. "Why'd you leave like that?"

"I just…" Jane rubbed her forehead and sighed. "I needed some time."

"Lizzie's been crying for you all night."

Jane snapped her attention towards Riley and immediately felt guilty. "She has?"

Riley nodded and fumbled with the hem of her pajama shirt. "She wanted you to put her to bed but Mom said you couldn't."

Jane nodded and swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Ma," Riley's tears started trickling down her cheeks and she looked at Jane with fear in her eyes, "are you and Mom gonna be okay?"

Jane smiled and brushed Riley's messy hair back. "I hope so."

"You hope so? Ma, that's not what you're supposed to say!" Riley's eyes went wide and looked at Jane with fear. "You're supposed to say 'Oh no baby, everything's gonna be fine and you don't have to worry' and you have to say you love Mom and you two are gonna be okay!"

"I do love her," Jane answered, cupping Riley's face to force her to look at her, "I love your mother more than anyone. We're just having a hard time, that's all."

Riley nodded and looked into Jane's eyes. "Is it about your wrist?" she asked, looking at the cast on Jane's arm.

Jane lowered her hand from Riley's face and fumbled with the cast. "Yeah I just had an accident at work."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just broke my wrist, that's all."

Riley nodded and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Jane's neck. "You gotta be careful, Ma," she whispered into the crook of Jane's neck, "Mom's been so sad all night."

Jane felt hot tears falling down her cheeks and pulled her daughter close after kissing the side of her head. She felt even guiltier. Maura was sad, Lizzie's been crying and Riley had clearly been lying awake until she came home.

"Your mom just…" Jane sighed and didn't break the embrace, gently rubbing Riley's back. "She really hurt me today."

Riley pulled back to look at Jane. "She did?"

Jane swallowed and nodded, cupping Riley's cheek with her good hand as she stroked her cheek with her thumb. "But I still love her," she offered with a slight smile. She wiped Riley's tears away with the back of her hand and looked into pained blue eyes. "And I love you."

Riley nodded and snuggled back into Jane's arms. "We just missed you tonight."

Jane sighed and relaxed against the back of the couch, bringing Riley with her in her arms. "I'm here," she whispered softly, kissing the top of Riley's head.

Riley smiled and rested her head on Jane's chest as she tucked her feet up on the couch, snuggling her entire body into her mother's arms. "Mom says Alex likes me," she said softly, a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"She did?" Jane chuckled and rubbed Riley's upper arm. She knew she liked Alex. She wasn't a detective for no reason. She picked up signals like that. Maura knew that. Maura knew that she was a detective at heart. And yet she asked her to give that up.

"Yeah."

"I think so too." Jane smiled and chuckled when Riley blushed. "And I'm a very good detective, so I know it."

Riley giggled and fumbled with Jane's shirt. "You should stay a detective, Ma," she whispered.

"Hm?"

"I know Mom said you should stop going out on the streets to catch bad guys but I don't think you should do that." Riley pulled back and smiled at her mother. "You have to be careful, but you're great at catching bad guys so you shouldn't stop doing that otherwise the bad guys will be piling up all over the place."

Jane laughed and felt love for her teenage daughter overwhelming her. She pressed her lips against Riley's forehead before pulling her back into the embrace. "You tried telling your mom that?"

"No," Riley smiled against Jane's shoulder and snuggled in close, "you should tell her that."

Jane sighed at her daughter's wisdom. "I know."

They stayed silent for a while as Riley relaxed in her mother's arms and Jane's thoughts couldn't stop racing through her mind. She felt guilty and worried, but still angry. Maura was unreasonable with her about a very sensitive subject and she knew it.

"Ma?" Riley whispered, her eyelids getting heavy as her muscles relaxed even further.

"Yes, honey?"

"You and Mom are gonna be okay."

Jane smiled and kissed the top of Riley's head that rested on her chest. "I hope so, baby." She sighed deeply and stared into the distance. "I hope so."

It only took one more hour for Riley to fall asleep, safely wrapped in strong, motherly arms. Jane carefully lowered Riley on the couch and kissed her forehead before getting up and walking upstairs.

She hoped Maura would be sleeping, and she was right. She stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching how Maura was sleeping on her side, her blonde curls splayed out on the pillow, her right arm bent under her head as her left was slightly hanging off the bed. Her cheeks were red and Jane saw red spots in her face. She had been crying.

She still loved this woman to no end. Yes, she was upset with her and angry, but God, she loved her. She would never stop. And right now, she could only pray that Maura wouldn't either.

She took a deep breath and swallowed her tears before stepping back and heading towards Lizzie's bedroom. The girl was, of course, sleeping. She carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her messy curls back. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here, baby," Jane whispered quietly. "I won't leave again, I promise." She carefully pressed her lips against Lizzie's forehead and inhaled the scent of her baby girl. "I love you so much, Liz."

She smiled when Lizzie mad an adorable sleeping sound and stroked her cheek for a moment. "I'm gonna make sure you'll feel better about being sick. We're gonna watch movies, play games, sleep, relax…" Jane smiled and stroked Lizzie's cheek with her thumb. "It's all gonna be okay."

She took a deep breath and stood up from the bed, surprised to see Maura standing in the hallway.

"So, now you're here for her," she whispered, waving her hand at Lizzie's room. "A little too late, Jane."

"What?" Jane fought to keep her voice down and felt that same anger burning in her chest. "Maur, you hurt me. The things you said hurt like hell and I needed some time. That's not my fault!"

"You left."

"For a few hours! And then I came back!"

"Lizzie needed you and you weren't there." Maura said, her defensive attitude slowly fading. "We need you, Jane."

"Didn't sound like that this afternoon, Maur," Jane whispered softly, averting her gaze towards her feet. "It sounded like you couldn't wait to get rid of me and the fear I give you."

"Jane…"

"Just…" Jane sighed and stepped back, away from her wife. "Just don't."

"Jane please, don't leave again," Maura said, pleading as tears shimmered in her eyes.

"I'm just going downstairs." Jane swallowed and turned around, walking downstairs where she rested back against the wall in the kitchen, slowly sliding down as she allowed her tears to fall.

She loved Maura. She loved her so much. But Maura hurt her. And she wasn't ready to forgive her yet. She didn't know when she would be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When Maura woke up the next day, Jane had already gone back to work. Maura sighed deeply at the sight of the empty living room except for a sleeping Riley on the couch.

She went to the kitchen to make some coffee and groaned quietly at the headache that was bothering her. She had been unreasonable. She knew she was. She was just angry with Jane. She was tired of being afraid all the time. She got tired of the fear. But that was just yesterday. She didn't want Jane to quit her job. Jane was a detective and very good one. She was unreasonable and she pushed Jane away.

Lizzie had been upset all night. She wanted Jane to put her to bed and Maura had to explain to her that Jane wouldn't be there to put her to bed. It only made her cry harder. Yes, Maura was upset with Jane for leaving like that, but she understood that Jane needed some time to herself after what Maura said to her. She could only hope she was able to fix all of this when Jane got home.

She finished making her coffee and decided to wake Riley up. She had to go into work for a few hours today and Riley needed to watch Lizzie. "Riley, sweetheart," Maura said softly as she sat down on the edge of the couch and shook Riley's shoulder. "Wake up."

Riley groaned and opened her eyes, still sleepy. Maura smiled at the sight and brushed her messy hair out of her face. "Good morning, my love," she whispered. "Did you sleep well?"

Riley shrugged and turned on her side to look at Maura. "Kinda."

"Did you talk to your Ma?" Maura asked carefully, still stroking Riley's hair.

Riley nodded.

"What uhm… what did she say?"

Riley smiled and leaned up on her elbow. "She said she loves you but that you hurt her."

Maura smiled a sad smile and averted her gaze towards her other hand in her lap. "We're going to be okay, love."

Riley nodded. "That's what Ma said too."

"I'm happy to hear that." Maura tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear and stroked her cheek with her thumb. "I love you, honey."

Riley smiled and sat up to wrap her arms around her mother. "I love you too, Mom."

Maura sighed deeply and pulled her daughter close, rubbing her back as she kissed the top of Riley's head. "I need you to watch your sister today," she said softly without breaking the embrace. "I have to go to work for a few hours."

"How long?"

"I'll be back by lunchtime, okay?" Maura pulled back and brushed Riley's brown hair back. "You have my phone number and you know where to find your grandmother."

Riley nodded. "What about Lizzie? I mean… What about her being sick?"

"She's just very tired. I'll wake her up in a few minutes. She can watch TV. Just make sure she has enough to drink and eats some fruit, okay?"

"Okay."

Maura patted Riley's leg and kissed her forehead before standing up and heading towards Lizzie's room upstairs. When she opened the door, Lizzie was still fast asleep. Maura sat on the edge of the bed and just looked at the little girl for a few moments. She hated seeing her sick. She absolutely hated it. She hated how uncomfortable and sad Lizzie was. She knew it would get better in a few weeks or months, but it didn't make it any easier to witness.

"Lizzie, baby," Maura said softly while she shook the girl's shoulder just like she did with Riley a few moments ago. "Time to wake up."

Lizzie slowly opened her eyes and Maura sighed at how small they were. She stroked Lizzie's cheek and kissed her forehead. "Good morning, my baby," she said with a smile.

Lizzie didn't reply and sat up while she rubbed her eyes. Maura couldn't restrain herself and pulled the girl into her lap where she immediately snuggled closely into warm arms, trying to get the warmth of her blankets back. "Did you sleep well?"

Lizzie nodded and rested her head on Maura's chest. "Is Mama back yet?"

"No, honey," Maura whispered after a deep sigh. "She's at work."

"When's she gonna be back?" Lizzie looked up at her mother and Maura swallowed a lump in her throat at the sight of those pleading brown eyes.

"Soon, my love," she answered with a hopefully soothing smile. "Soon."

"I want Mama." Lizzie's bottom lip quivered as tears started form in her eyes.

"Well, Mama's not here." Maura lifted Lizzie into the air and placed her on her hip, not wanting Lizzie to get as upset as she was last night. "She'll be back soon, I promise."

Lizzie nodded and knew she shouldn't keep on whining. She rested her head on Maura's shoulder as Maura carried her downstairs. She made breakfast for the girls, had some herself and after making absolutely sure that everything was settled, she took off to work. Lizzie was watching a movie and Riley was responsible and sweet. They would be fine today. Maura told them she'd call if she got a break and she'd be back at lunchtime.

She didn't see Jane at all at work, but when she got back home, she was surprised to see her wife sitting on the couch with Lizzie in her lap while she read the sleepy girl a story. Maura smiled lovingly at the sight. She came back.

"Hey," she softly greeted Jane as she closed the front door behind her. "You came back."

"Yeah." Jane swallowed and rested her chin on top of Lizzie's head. She shrugged. "Missed my girls."

Maura smiled but felt insecure on how to approach her wife so she decided to keep some distance. "Where's Riley?"

"Getting ready to go to Sarah's."

Maura nodded, not sure how to respond. When did she get so insecure around her own wife? Just the knowledge that she hurt Jane made her stomach ache.

Jane went back to reading the story to Lizzie and Maura watched them from the kitchen where she got something to drink. Jane was better at reading stories. She did the voices. It made Lizzie laugh. Lizzie's head rested against Jane's chest and her small arms rested on Jane's bigger, strong ones as she focused on the pictures in the book.

She missed Jane. She wanted to be in her arms, she wanted to kiss her lips and she wanted to hold her. She wanted everything to be okay again, but she knew it wasn't that easy. Not this time.

"Hey Mom," Riley greeted Maura as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, love." Maura smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Did everything go okay?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah. Ma came home just a little over an hour after you left."

"That soon?"

"Yep."

Jane really hadn't been at work for long then. Which probably meant she just needed to get out of the house to avoid a confrontation with her. Maura sighed. She needed to fix this. In a few minutes. After Jane finished the story she was reading to Lizzie.

"Alright, I'm gonna go." Riley grabbed her bag from a chair and rushed over to kiss Maura's cheek.

"Bye, love." Maura smiled and watched Riley walking to the couch where she did the same to Jane and Lizzie. "Say hi to Sarah from me!"

"Will do." Riley smiled over her shoulder and walked out, excited for an afternoon with her best friend.

Jane finished the story and cuddled with Lizzie for a while before she kissed the girl's head and lifted her off her lap to get up from the couch, getting something to drink for Lizzie and herself.

Maura stepped aside to give Jane some room and lowered her head, uncertain of what to do. "Jane," she whispered when Jane passed her, "we need to talk."

Jane sighed and grabbed two glasses from a cabinet above her head. "Yeah."

"Soon, Jane."

Jane looked at her and Maura saw a coldness and emptiness in her wife's brown eyes. "I know." She filled the glasses with juice and walked back to the couch, handing one of them to Lizzie.

Maura felt tears burning in her eyes and rushed out of the room, not wanting to break down in the kitchen. She ran upstairs and sat down on her bed, hiding her face into her hands as she cried silently. Jane never responded to her like that. That coldness in her eyes… She barely recognized that look. It made her stomach ache and it broke her heart.

She didn't know for how long she cried, but after a long time, she heard footsteps entering the room and saw Jane entering the room. She looked up and quickly wiped her cheeks, attempting a small smile. "Where's Lizzie?" she managed to get out, her throat closing up with tears.

"Downstairs. Watching cartoons on your iPad."

Maura nodded, still not sure what to do. She wanted to stand up and throw her arms around her wife, pulling her as close as possible, kiss her lips, hold her hands, caress her skin. She wanted to tell her how much she loved her because oh, she loved her so much. Watching Jane standing there in her usual grey slacks, blue T-shirt, curls dark and unruly, cheekbones sharp as ever… The woman was gorgeous and even though Maura was upset with her, she loved her detective more than anything in the world.

"Jane," she whispered, looking up at her wife, "I-… I… I'm…"

"Yeah," Jane nodded and sat down next to Maura, making sure to keep a few inches apart, "me too."

"I love you, Jane," Maura spilled out, only crying harder. "I love you so much and I'm sorry."

Jane just looked at Maura and blinked a few times without answering, causing Maura to panic a little more. "I'm sorry, Jane. I know you're a detective and yes, I was upset with you for not being careful and getting hurt without calling me but it wasn't fair of me to say those things to you." She shifted a little closer to Jane and when she saw that she didn't move, she cupped Jane's face with both her hands, forcing her wife to look at her. "I love you so much, Jane. I can never live without you, ever. I love you more than anyone and anything in this world." She leaned forward to peck Jane's lips but Jane didn't respond. "I love you, I love you so much."

Jane swallowed and took a deep breath. "It hurt," she whispered, averting her gaze towards her lap, "you know I'm a detective."

"I do," Maura answered, her voice an equally soft whisper, "I was unfair to you. I'm sorry."

"But you're tired of the fear," Jane whispered, finally looking up at Maura. "Aren't you?"

"I-… I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"You're tired of not being sure if I'll be home after a day out on the streets. You're tired of that fear."

Maura didn't reply. Yes. She was tired of that. She was tired of being afraid every single time Jane went out to chase as suspect.

"Just…" Jane sighed and Maura saw tears shimmering in her eyes. "Just tell me if that means you're tired of me."

"No! No, God no!" Maura cried only harder and cupped Jane's face again, this time more firmly. "No, Jane," she said through her tears, her voice soft and weak, "I could never get tired of you."

"Then the fear kinda comes with the package, Maur," Jane whispered at her wife. "I'm a detective and I'll always be one."

"I know. I know that." Maura sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a few moments. "I just… Yes, that fear is tiring, but that doesn't mean I'm tired of you. I'll take all the fear in the world if it means I get to be with you. You're my life, Jane."

Jane sniffled and wiped a tear with the back of her hand. "You're my life too," she whispered through her tears.

Maura smiled and stroked Jane's cheekbone with her thumb. "No relationship is perfect," she said softly, marveling at her wife's beauty, "our relationship comes with fear and sometimes frustration. But…" she sighed and wiped Jane's tears, "but it also comes with a kind of love I never felt before until I met you and a kind of love that grows stronger every minute of every day. It comes with two beautiful children and that fear is just a little part of it."

Jane nodded and Maura saw that she couldn't reply. She leaned forward and captured Jane's lips in a loving kiss, feeling that Jane did respond this time. Their lips sliding together in perfect rhythm and taste. Maura tangled her hands in Jane's curls and pulled her impossibly closer, deepening the kiss further.

When they broke away, they were both gasping for air and smiling. "I love you, Jane. I'm sorry for saying what I said."

"Thank you for apologizing," Jane whispered while Maura gently massaged Jane's scalp with her fingers. "I'm sorry for leaving like that. I shouldn't have. And I'm sorry for not answering your calls. It was stupid of me."

Maura nodded and rested her forehead against her wife's. "Thank you for apologizing."

"I love you, Maura," Jane whispered before kissing her lips again. "I love you."

They kissed for a long time, simply enjoying loving touches and deep kisses until light footsteps came walking up the stairs. Maura broke the kiss and smiled as she breathed onto her wife's perfect lips. "Oh, Jane," she whispered breathlessly.

Jane smirked and pecked Maura's lips again before Lizzie walked into the bedroom. "Mama?"

"Hey, baby." Jane greeted Lizzie and opened her arms for the little girl, happy to see the relief in her daughter.

Lizzie climbed into Jane's lap, looking just as tired as a few moments ago, but this time with a sweet smile. "You and Mommy made up?"

Maura smiled at Jane and kissed her lips. "Yes, we did."

Lizzie nodded and snuggled into Jane's arms. "Good."

Jane chuckled and kissed the top of Lizzie's head while Maura took one of her little hands in her own. "How are you feeling, love?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Tired." She played with Maura's wedding ring in silence for a few moments before she looked up at her mother. "When am I gonna be better, Mommy?"

Maura sighed. "It could take a while, honey."

"Why?"

"Well," Jane brushed Lizzie's hair back and smiled a sad smile, "there's a bad guy in your body that makes you all tired and stuff. And now your body has to fight that bad guy and that makes you so tired."

Lizzie looked up at Jane with fascination on her young face. "Just like you catch bad guys?"

"Yeah, a little like that."

Lizzie nodded. "Then how long's it gonna take before the bad guys are catched?"

Jane looked at Maura, asking for an answer. Maura sighed. "A few weeks, maybe longer."

Lizzie grunted softly and snuggled into Jane's chest. "Stupid bad guy," she mumbled. "Making me tired."

"I wish I could shoot the bad guy," Jane said with a sad smile while she pulled Lizzie close.

Lizzie giggled softly and continued playing with Maura's fingers. "Then you'll shoot me too."

"Oh no, we don't want that." Jane smiled and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "I love you way too much."

Lizzie smiled and her smile grew wider when Maura kissed the girl's cheek. She cupped Lizzie's face and looked into light brown eyes. "I love you, sweetheart."

Lizzie reached up her small arms and wrapped them around Maura's neck, meanwhile climbing into her lap. Maura wrapped her own arms around Lizzie and pulled her close. "I love you too, Mommy," she said softly and surprisingly sincerely. Most of the time, the 'I love you too' was just a standard reply to 'I love you', but Maura heard the sincerity in Lizzie's words this time. She was only five, but she knew what it was like to love.

Maura couldn't let her little girl go and kept her in her arms a long time, hugging her tight as Lizzie's arms stayed wrapped around her neck. Jane rested her head on Maura's shoulder and kissed her neck as she snuggled into her wife's side. Maura smiled at the movement and felt extremely blessed. She hurt Jane and that possibly left a scar, but she knew the special love they felt for each other would pull them through. She had her little family in her arms and she knew Riley would be home soon to make it all complete. Nothing was perfect, but everything was okay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

They were still sitting in the same position on the bed when Riley came home, her voice calling them from downstairs. "Mom? Ma?"

Jane looked at Lizzie in Maura's arms and saw that she was awake again. "Up here!" she called back.

Riley walked upstairs and entered the bedroom, smiling when she saw her mothers closely next to each other, Jane's arm wrapped around Maura's waist. She sighed in relief and smiled a bright smile.

Jane chuckled and untangled herself from Maura to open her arms for Riley who wrapped her arms around her mother. Jane kissed the side of Riley's head and pulled her close for a moment. "Told you we were gonna be okay."

Riley laughed and nodded, pulling away to accept a kiss on her cheek from Maura and to ruffle Lizzie's curls. "Yeah, you better. We're a mess without you, Ma."

Jane smiled and looked at Maura to see her nodding. "It's true," she whispered quietly, pulling Lizzie close in her arms. She took a deep breath and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "Come on, let's go downstairs. Grandma Angela is coming over for dinner."

"Yeah!" Lizzie smiled and wrapped her small arms around Maura's neck as she stood up from the bed, carrying Lizzie on her hip.

Jane stood up as well and rubbed Riley's back for a moment. Riley smiled at her mother. "Are you really okay again?" she asked softly.

Jane shrugged. "We can't take back what's been said. Yeah, we were upset with each other, but we love each other more. She was wrong for the things she said, I was wrong for leaving and not calling her. We both apologized and forgave each other."

Riley nodded. "I really hate it when you fight," she whispered with a slight smile.

Jane chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "Me too. But we have to fight every now and then. Gets the frustrations out."

"I know."

Jane kissed Riley's temple before following Maura and Lizzie downstairs. "How was Sarah?" she asked while she walked down the hallway.

"Good. She's uhm…" Riley hesitated and stood still at the top of the stairs. "She met someone."

"She did?"

Riley nodded. "A girl named Robin. She just moved to Sarah's neighborhood. She's gonna be in our class after the summer."

Jane heard hesitation in Riley voice and decided to ask further. "And…?"

Riley shrugged and took a deep breath. "She really likes her. They went out on three dates already."

"How did Sarah's parents react?" Jane asked, knowing that Sarah's parents didn't approve of homosexual relationships.

"They don't know."

"So," Jane crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, "she's been lying to them?"

Riley sighed. "Or just… not telling something."

"That's lying."

"Maybe."

"Riley," Jane smiled and brushed Riley's hair back, trying to look into her eyes, "why is it bothering you this much?"

Riley grunted and shook her head. "Because everything's about Robin and Alex lately!" Jane saw tears in Riley's eyes as the girl continued. "I can't stop talking about Alex and she can't stop talking about Robin and I just… I miss… I don't know. Things are changing."

"How?"

"She's with Robin a lot. I'm Facetiming with Alex a lot. It's just different."

Jane smiled. "Yeah honey, but is that really a bad thing? You're both growing up."

Riley sighed and nodded. "I know."

"I know things change, and change is scary." Jane squeezed Riley's upper arm and smiled lovingly. "But you guys have been friends for almost a year now. Don't you think your friendship is stronger than boyfriends and girlfriends?"

Riley smiled a sad smile and tilted her head. "Maybe. It's just… She's lying to her parents all the time. I… I don't even recognize her sometimes. She tells the biggest lies like it's nothing."

Jane started to get worried. Sarah was spontaneous and unruly, but she was a good girl. She had felt incredibly bad about not being honest about her sexuality and she wanted to be honest with her parents. Sarah was a nice, sweet girl. She didn't usually lie. "Have you met this Robin girl?"

Riley shrugged. "Just once, when Sarah told her parents she would go to the movies with me when she really had a date with Robin."

"What did you think of Robin?"

Riley sighed and Jane knew she didn't want to speak badly about her best friend's girlfriend. But she looked at Jane and Jane smiled soothingly, causing Riley to talk anyway. "She's kinda rude?" Riley shook her head and rubbed her forehead. "She's a little older than us and wears these really short skirts and low-cut shirts. I… I don't think she even really likes Sarah, to be honest."

"How come you think that?"

Riley shook her head. "Just… The way she looks at her and talks to her."

Jane sighed. She knew these kinds of kids. They dated younger kids for the thrill, trying to make them behave badly for no apparent reason. Just to prove that they're cool and rebellious. Sarah deserved better.

"What do I do, Ma?" Riley asked softly, looking into Jane's eyes.

"Talk to her. Tell her what you think."

"I don't want to hurt her."

"Honey," Jane smiled and caressed Riley's cheek for a moment, "staying silent could hurt her more. From what I hear, Robin's not a good girl. She'll hurt Sarah."

"I think so too," Riley whispered with tears in her eyes.

"So, talk to her." Jane smiled and leaned forward to place a light kiss on Riley's forehead. "And maybe invite her over for dinner sometime soon. We haven't seen her in a while."

Riley smiled and accepted a warm embrace from her mother, snuggling her face into Jane's shoulder. "I will."

Jane kissed the side of Riley's head and tightened her arms around her daughter. She loved how Riley was always affectionate and asking for physical love. "I love you, baby," Jane whispered, "it's gonna be okay."

Riley nodded against her mother. "Love you too, Ma." 

"C'mon," Jane pulled back and kissed Riley's cheek, "family's waiting."

When they got downstairs, Angela had already arrived and was talking to Lizzie who sat on top of the kitchen counter, wiggling her legs back and forth. Her nap clearly did her some good. Riley greeted her grandmother and accepted a kiss on her cheek before sitting down at one of the stools at the kitchen counter.

"I can't believe you got mono, sweetie," Angela said to Lizzie, ruffling her blond curls. "How'd you get that, huh? Who'd you kiss?"

"Kiss?" Lizzie asked with a slight giggle.

"Yeah!" Angela smiled and stepped away to help Maura with dinner, stirring the contents in a bowl next to Lizzie. "Kissing disease."

Lizzie crossed her arms and raised her chin. "I only kiss Mommy and Mama and sometimes Riley."

Angela chuckled and stepped back to kiss Lizzie's face. "What about me, huh?"

Lizzie giggled and covered her face with her hands, trying to get away from her grandmother's kisses. Jane chuckled at the sight and walked further to greet her mother. "Hey, Ma."

"Hey, Janie." Angela smiled and kissed Jane's cheek. "Sorry to hear about Lizzie."

"Yeah," Jane sighed and brushed Lizzie's hair back.

Maura smiled at them and walked around to grab a cutting board. "I believe she caught it on vacation, maybe a little before. Her immune system dropped and she caught a rather bad cold."

"I remember when Tommy had it," Angela said, handing Maura a few peppers, "he was ten and slept for six weeks straight."

Maura sighed and nodded, looking at Lizzie with sad eyes. "It's too bad I don't know her entire medical history."

"Didn't we get those files when we adopted her?" Jane asked, walking into the kitchen where she rubbed Lizzie's back, eliciting a sweet smile from the girl.

"Yes, her official medical records. But I'd like to know all of it."

"Of course you do," Jane smirked and kissed Maura's lips, "of course you'd like to know every cold and every flu."

"It could be helpful!" Maura defended herself before kissing Jane's lips again. "It would give me more insights on her immune systems and what affects it."

Jane sighed. If Lizzie were born into their family, they'd know all this. But she wasn't. She was born into a different family. Jane loved her girls with all she had, but she missed that sometimes. At times, she was still getting to know her own daughters.

Jane smiled a sad smile and pecked Maura's lips again before she lifted Lizzie off the kitchen counter, hugging her close for a few seconds before putting her on the floor. "C'mon, we're gonna set the table."

She gave Lizzie some plates and watched as she put them on the table, Angela following quickly with some glasses. She smiled when she felt Maura's arms wrapping around her waist from behind, her wife's perfect soft lips kissing her neck. Jane hummed and leaned back into Maura's front, turning her head to press her lips against Maura's cheek. "I love you," she whispered softly, placing a few more kisses to her wife's cheek. "You're gorgeous."

Maura smiled and tightened her grip around Jane's waist, nuzzling her face into Jane's dark curls. "I love you too, Jane. I love how you smell." She inhaled deeply and moaned softly. "It arouses me."

"God, Maura," Jane smirked and blushed, "my mom's here. And the girls."

Maura giggled and kissed Jane's neck again. "I'm aware of that."

"So stop turning me on!" Jane turned around and playfully slapped Maura's arm before pecking her lips. She stared into Maura's sparkling hazel eyes for a few seconds, almost getting lost in them before she shook her head. If she didn't walk away now, she'd be making out with this woman all throughout dinner.

Dinner was happy and delicious as always. Jane's mother always loved being around her grandchildren and of course she wanted to know all about their lives. Riley didn't say much about Alex and Jane thought that was very wise, knowing how nosey her mother could get about possible love interests.

Jane was sad to see how tired Lizzie was after only half an hour at the dinner table. All she really did was help set the table and eat dinner, and she was exhausted. This mono virus was really wearing her out. Her head rested against the back of her chair and her hand rested next to her fork, too tired to even pick it up.

Jane patted Maura's leg next to her and looked at Lizzie, causing Maura to sigh deeply. She looked at Jane and smiled a sad smile, but Jane saw the pain in her wife's eyes. This was incredibly difficult for Maura. For all of them, but especially for Maura. She wanted to make her girls better, being the brilliant doctor she was, and it killed her that she couldn't.

"Should I put her to bed?" Jane whispered, nodding her head at Lizzie.

Maura sighed and nodded. "Probably, yes." She squeezed Jane's leg and leaned over to peck her wife's lips. "Would you?"

"My pleasure," Jane smiled and shifted her chair back. "C'mon Lizzie, time for bed."

"But…" Lizzie pointed at her dessert and tried to come up with an excuse, but she failed.

Jane chuckled and brushed Lizzie's curls back. "C'mon, baby."

Lizzie sighed and slid off her chair, but Maura stopped her before she could walk away from the table. "Kiss," she pursed her lips and shifted in her chair to open her arms for Lizzie, pulling into a sweet hug while she kissed the girl's cheek. "I love you, baby girl," she whispered into Lizzie's blond curls, "sleep well."

Lizzie nodded. "Love you too, Mommy."

Maura smiled and let go of her daughter. "Say goodbye to Grandma."

Lizzie stepped towards Angela and reached up her arms before Angela hugged her for a few moments. "Sleep tight, Lizzie."

"'Night Riley!" Lizzie waved at her sister before grabbing Jane's hand and following her up the stairs.

"Night, Liz."

Jane smiled and led Lizzie upstairs to her bedroom. "So," she said, turning around at Lizzie's bed, "doggy pajamas? Or astronaut pajamas?"

Lizzie hummed and her eyes sparkled. "Astronaut."

"Good choice." Jane smiled and grabbed a pair of clean pajamas out of Lizzie's closet. She pulled her daughter's T-shirt over her head and tossed it towards the door to be taken into laundry. Lizzie allowed it all in silence and stepped out of her shorts when Jane pulled them down her legs. Jane helped her step into her pajama shorts in stead before pulling the dark blue shirt with stars and a picture of an astronaut over the girl's head.

When Lizzie was changed into her pajamas, Jane lifted her off the floor and spun her through the air, eliciting loud giggles from the girl. She smiled at the beautiful sound and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "I miss your giggles, baby."

Lizzie chuckled and wrapped her small arms around Jane's neck, snuggling close. "I'm tired for giggles."

"Hmm," Jane swayed her daughter back and forth and hummed, "I know, honey." She kissed the side of Lizzie's head and walked over to the bathroom where she handed Lizzie her toothbrush. "Where's your toothpaste?"

"I finished it yesterday," Lizzie answered, sitting down on her yellow kid's step stool she used to reach the sink, "Mommy throwed it away."

Jane went through the cabinets but failed to find Lizzie's children's toothpaste. "I'm afraid we're out, baby. You'll have to use the grown-up toothpaste."

Lizzie shrugged and straightened her back. "I'm big."

"Yes, you are." Jane handed Lizzie the toothpaste and helped her brushing her teeth, knowing that the girl usually didn't do a very thorough job by herself.

"Spit," Jane helped Lizzie up at the sink and filled a cup of water for her to rinse her mouth. "Now pee."

Lizzie chuckled and sped off towards the toilet, pushing down her shorts on the way. Jane smiled to herself. She never thought she'd love these domestic rituals this much, but she did. She loved the whole routine. She loved putting Lizzie to bed.

Lizzie flushed the toilet and Jane guided her to wash her hands before leading her towards her bedroom. She picked Lizzie up and threw her on the bed, eliciting a loud squeal, followed by another fit of giggles. Jane smiled and tickled Lizzie's stomach and sides, causing Lizzie to scream and laugh loudly.

"Mama no!" Lizzie laughed, squirming under Jane's hands.

"What?" Jane teased, continuing her tickles, "I can't hear you!"

"Mama!" Lizzie giggled and tried to grab Jane's hands, "I'm gonna pee my pants!"

Jane laughed and released her grip. "Oh, no we don't want that."

Lizzie's giggles subsided and she sighed deeply, wearing a content smile on her face. "Tickles make me so tired, Mama," she said softly, her smile fading.

"I'm sorry, baby," Jane answered while she comfortingly rubbed Lizzie's belly, "I won't tickle anymore, I promise."

Lizzie nodded and Jane saw the exhaustion taking over in her daughter. Lizzie sighed and relaxed into her pillow. "Everything makes me tired." Her bottom lip quivered and tears welled up in her light brown eyes.

"I know, sweetheart." Jane moved her right hand to stroke Lizzie's cheek while her other kept making soothing circles on her daughter's stomach. "You're gonna get better, I promise."

"When?"

"I don't know, Liz." Jane leaned down to kiss Lizzie's forehead and smiled as she pulled away. "Soon, I hope." She wiped a tear from Lizzie's cheek with her thumb. "You're just gonna have a good sleep and maybe you'll feel better tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Lizzie nodded and slid her thumb into her mouth.

Jane smiled at the adorable sight. "I love you, my baby."

"Love you too, Mama," Lizzie mumbled sleepily.

Jane kissed her daughter's forehead again and tucked her in before turning off the lights. "Sweet dreams."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Why's we gonna eat here, Mama?" Lizzie asked, holding Jane's hand as they entered a beautiful small restaurant.

"Because Mommy, the team and I caught a really bad guy at work and we wanted to celebrate," Jane smiled down at Lizzie and winked at Maura. "And because we didn't feel like ordering take-out or cook ourselves."

"This place is great," Riley said, looking around the restaurant. It was a rather small French restaurant, lit with tiny lights and a big terrace outside. "Can we sit outside?"

Maura smiled at Riley's sparkling eyes that showed enthusiasm and fascination. "Yes, that's a good idea."

Summer vacation was almost over and the girls would be back in school in a little over a week. Lizzie would start first grade and Riley would start sophomore year in High School. Jane and Maura were both back to work fulltime and Angela was spending a lot of the time with the kids, which is why they were both happy to have a cozy family night at the restaurant.

Lizzie was slowly starting to get better. She was still tired, but she wasn't as exhausted as she was a few weeks ago. She could go grocery shopping with her mothers again without being completely and utterly exhausted afterwards. She wasn't completely herself yet, but she was slowly getting back.

They picked a small table in the corner and sat down, Lizzie on Maura's left side, Jane and Riley opposite them. "Why's there Christmas lights?" Lizzie asked with a slight giggle. "It's not Christmas."

"I know, right?" Jane smirked. "Go tell the manager that. He should take them down, it's August."

"Noooo," Lizzie shook her head. "It's nice."

Maura smiled and brushed Lizzie's messy curls back. "You need a haircut, my love."

"I don't like haircuts." Lizzie crossed her arms.

"Oh, but it makes you look so cute." Maura smiled and stroked Lizzie's head. She loved the little girl with long hair, but her unruly curls were even harder to tame if they were so long. They would get it cut so it would be just below her shoulders, a perfect length for Lizzie.

A waiter came over and took their order after bringing them something to drink. They stayed silent for a few moments until Riley's soft voice broke it. "Sarah's parents told me to say hi to you today."

"Oh, that's nice." Maura smiled. "How are they?"

"Her parents are fine." Riley averted her gaze and this immediately alarmed Jane.

"Her parents are?"

Riley sighed. "Yeah."

"Sarah's not?"

She shrugged. "Still dating Robin."

"That girl that was being rude to us?" Maura asked, remembering the day they picked Riley up from the mall on their way to Angela and how Robin treated them. There was no sign of politeness to be seen and Maura didn't like the way she treated Sarah.

"Yeah." Riley shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "She's making her lie to her parents all the time, stuff like that."

"That's awful!"

Riley sighed. "She got drunk last weekend."

"Sarah?" Jane snapped her attention towards Riley next to her, her eyes screaming disapproval. "Underage drinking is illegal. She's not even sixteen yet!"

"I know that. She got it at some party. Said she smoked a cigarette as well." Riley looked back at Maura and Maura saw concern in her light blue eyes. "She sounded like she was proud of it."

Maura reached over the table and softly squeezed Riley's hand. "I'm sorry, honey. That must be hard to witness."

"Yeah…" Riley looked down into her glass and swirled the liquid around in it. "I mean… I still like her and we're still good friends. I just don't like what she's like when she's with her. Robin's bad."

Jane hummed and ran her hand through her hair. "And of course she doesn't see that herself."

"No."

"Have you tried to tell her?" Maura asked, stroking Riley's knuckles with her thumb.

Riley shook her head. "I told her she shouldn't be drinking. But I'm afraid she'll get mad if I tell what I think about Robin."

"I understand."

"Y'know," Jane said softly, turning to look at Riley, "I had a friend like Sarah once. We were best friends all through senior year in High School. Then she got a bad boyfriend."

Riley looked at her mother with wide eyes that showed fascination and interest. "What happened?"

Jane sighed. "He got her into drugs. She lost all her other friends and had to go through rehab before she was even nineteen. Dropped out of High School. Never seen her again."

Riley swallowed hard and averted her gaze, causing Maura to squeeze her hand lovingly. Drugs was a sensitive subject for the girl. "Just talk to her, love," Maura said with a sweet smile. "Tell her you're concerned."

Riley nodded. "I'll try."

Maura smiled at her oldest daughter and squeezed her hand before pulling hers back, leaning back in her chair. "And you know," Jane said, softly squeezing Riley's arm, "if she ever drinks again, just tell her you know people at the police."

Riley chuckled. "You're a homicide detective. I don't think you can actually do something about that unless she murders someone."

"That… is true. But she doesn't know that."

"Jane," Maura glared at her wife, "don't encourage her to lie."

Jane was about to protest but the waiter came along with their food so she let it slide. The food was delicious and especially Lizzie ate every last crumb on her plate, including some of Maura's. Maura was happy to see the girl eating this much again. Her appetite had been off lately.

They chatted happily while enjoying their food and Maura loved being out with her family. It had been a while since they did something like this, mostly due to Lizzie being sick and Jane and Maura working. They tried to switch off their days at work, but their jobs just didn't allow that always. So whenever one or both of them came home after a long day, they just had a quiet family dinner at home. But today, they closed a long and difficult case at work and Jane got home a little after lunch and Maura later in the afternoon. Taking the girls to this restaurant was a way of celebrating and enjoying some quality time away from home.

"You wanna order dessert?" Jane asked, leaning on her elbows as she looked at Lizzie opposite her.

"Nah, my tummy's really really full."

"Yeah, 'cause you ate all of Mom's food," Riley smirked at her sister.

"Not al of it!" Lizzie protested, straightening her back. "And Mommy said I could."

Maura smiled and caressed Lizzie's cheek for a moment, noticing that the girl was rather tired. "Riley's just teasing, honey."

Lizzie nodded and didn't have the energy to chastise her sister. Maura smiled at the sight and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I think it's time to go home."

Jane waved over a waiter to pay and the family stood up from the table to walk back to the car, but Maura suddenly heard Lizzie gasping.

She let go of Maura's hand and ran away. "Lizzie!" Maura called, hurrying after her.

Lizzie ran towards a woman who just came back from the bathroom. She was talking on the phone and she was quite tall with blond curls and brown eyes. Lizzie ran towards her and stood still in front of the woman, her eyes sparkling and her mouth open in excitement.

"Mommy!" she yelled with a bright smile, but then she looked up at the woman and her smile fell.

The woman raised her eyebrows and gave Lizzie a disapproving look before she shook her head and walked away.

Maura swallowed hard. She saw the resemblance. This woman was a splitting image of Lizzie's deceased biological mother. She was a little skinnier and her eyes were darker than Lizzie's, but Maura recognized her from the pictures.

Lizzie thought she had seen her mother and everything was now shattering for the little girl. Maura looked at Jane and she knew Jane had realized the same.

Jane slowly approached Lizzie who was still looking after the woman. She placed her hand on Lizzie's shoulder and Lizzie snapped her attention towards Jane.

"Baby," Jane kneeled in front of Lizzie and Maura saw the girl's bottom lip quivering as tears welled up in her eyes. "C'mon, let's go home."

"No!" Lizzie balled her fists and yelled as loud as she could. She tried to run away but Jane stopped her by holding her by her upper arms.

"Lizzie."

"No!" Lizzie struggled to get free but Jane was stronger. "NO!"

"Yes, we're gonna go home and Mommy and I will talk with you there, okay?

"No! You're not my mommy!" Lizzie yelled through her tears, still fighting to get free. "You're not my real mommy!"

Maura's heart broke at Lizzie's words and she felt tears burning in her eyes. Jane clearly felt the same and loosened her grip on Lizzie, causing the girl to squirm free and run out of the restaurant.

"Jeez," the woman who Lizzie mistook for her mother stood next to Maura and shook her head, "control your kid, will ya?"

Maura didn't even reply. She glared at the woman and hurried after Jane and Riley who followed Lizzie outside.

Outside, Jane had caught up with Lizzie and tried to stop her, but Lizzie only screamed louder and ran away. Jane stood still and covered her mouth with her hand at Lizzie's anger.

"Lizzie!" Maura called after the girl, "come back here!"

"No!"

Riley swallowed and looked at Maura for a second before running after her sister. "Liz!" she called, catching up with the five-year old.

At the sound of her sister's voice, Lizzie stopped running and turned around to look at Riley, tears streaming down her face, heartbreaking sobs wrecking her tiny body. Riley sighed and picked Lizzie up into her arms before sitting down on a bench under a tree, taking Lizzie into her lap. Lizzie's small arms wrapped around Riley's neck and she clung to her sister like she was the last light in her life.

Maura felt tears trickling down her cheeks at the sight. She felt Jane's hand grabbing hers as they watched the girls from a distance, not wanting to upset Lizzie by coming any closer.

"God," Maura whispered, wrapping her arm around Jane's waist as she buried her face into her wife's shoulder.

She heard Jane swallowing as her arm wrapped around her shoulders. "That hurt."

Maura nodded and allowed her tears to fall, turning her head to watch the girls. Lizzie was still crying loudly in Riley's arms and Maura saw tears on Riley's cheeks as well. She didn't even know what to say. Lizzie's words cut through her heart like a sharp knife. She thought Lizzie had accepted them as her real parents, but she was wrong. They would never be Lizzie's biological mothers. They would always be a substitute.

Maura let out a silent sob and clung to her wife, her hand lacing in Jane's dark curls, as her gaze never left their daughters.

"She's just tired, Maur," Jane whispered, resting her cheek against Maura's head, "she just got mad. She didn't mean it."

"It had to come from somewhere, Jane," Maura answered softly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Even if she was just throwing a tantrum, it always comes from something real."

Jane sighed. "She didn't mean it."

Maura lifted her head and looked into Jane's eyes. "What if she did?"

"Hey," Jane cupped Maura's face, "she didn't. She loves us."

"Yes, but we'll never be her real mothers." Maura closed her eyes as her tears kept falling. "We'll always be a substitute."

"Then we'll be the best we can," Jane answered in her husky voice, lifting Maura's chin to make eye contact, "okay?"

Maura swallowed and nodded. She looked back at her daughters and immediately stiffened. There was a man sitting next to them on the bench, offering them something that looked like candy. Riley shook her head, but the man kept pushing.

"Jane," Maura said, squeezing her wife's arms as Jane was still looking at her.

Jane snapped her attention towards the girls and sped off to the bench after analyzing the situation for a second. She didn't need any longer to know this man was trouble. They were only a few yards away from the bench, and Jane was fast.

"Hey!" she yelled, her entire attitude screaming anger and protectiveness. She grabbed the man by his collar and yanked him up from the bench. She pulled him dangerously close to her face and growled. "Get the hell away from my daughters."

"Whoa, hey, I'm just-…"

"Shut up!" Jane pushed him away. "I'm a homicide detective and if you ever come close to my kids again I will tear you apart!" She flashed her badge that was still attached to her belt and the man held up his hands and walked away.

"Are you okay?" Maura asked, kneeling in front of Lizzie and Riley.

Riley nodded. "Yeah. He just wanted us to come with him but I told him to go away."

"Good," Maura smiled and reached up to squeeze Riley's arm. Lizzie didn't move. Her face was still hidden in the crook of Riley's neck and she was still crying. She carefully reached out her hand and put it on Lizzie's upper back, happy to see that she didn't move.

"Let's go home," Jane said softly as she stepped behind Maura.

Riley nodded and tried to lift Lizzie off her lap, but Lizzie kept holding on. "C'mon, Liz. You're too heavy for me to carry." She pulled away to look at her sister and smiled a sad smile. "Ma's strong enough to carry you, though."

Lizzie shook her head and Maura looked behind her to see the hurt on her wife's face. She sighed and stood up, stepping away from the bench. Riley managed to get Lizzie off her lap and took her hand as they stood up. Lizzie avoided any eye contact and walked along with her sister towards the car.

Maura sighed and grabbed Jane's hand while they followed the girls. The ride home was completely silent. Lizzie didn't stop crying quietly and didn't leave Riley's side. Back home, Jane parked the car into the garage and they got out before walking into the empty house.

"Bedtime, Lizzie," Maura said with a sweet smile. "Do you want me or Mama to bring you?"

Lizzie shook her head. "I wanna go by myself."

Maura swallowed and felt tears burning in her eyes. Lizzie never went to bed by herself. Even if Maura and Jane had to work late and she had to be put to bed by Angela, she always woke up later that night and came out of bed for a goodnight kiss.

"We're not mad at you, honey," Maura said softly, kneeling in front of her daughter. "We're not angry."

Lizzie nodded and looked down at her feet.

"How about I take you upstairs, we put on your pajamas and I read you any story you want?" Maura smiled and reached up to brush Lizzie's messy curls back but Lizzie shook her head.

"I wanna go by myself."

Maura swallowed and nodded. "Okay." She stood up and leaned into Jane's side, finding comfort in her wife's touch. "We love you, sweetheart," she said softly before Lizzie turned around to head upstairs. She didn't reply.

"Oh god, Jane," Maura whimpered as she hid her face into the crook of Jane's neck.

Jane swallowed and rubbed Maura's back as she kissed her head. "Riley," she said softly, looking at Riley who was watching them from the kitchen, "did she say anything?"

"No," Riley answered, her voice shaking and soft, "she just cried." She sighed and walked towards her mother as Maura pulled away. "She's gonna be okay, right?"

Maura smiled and tucked as strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "I hope so, my love."

Riley nodded and stepped closer when Maura reached out her arms for the girl. She kissed the side of Riley's head as the girl wrapped her skinny arms around her mother's waist. "Thank you for comforting her," Maura whispered after swallowing a lump in her throat.

Riley pulled back and smiled a shy smile. "That's what sisters do, right?"

Maura let out a loving laugh and wiped her cheeks. "Yes, they do."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Jane's arms were wrapped around Maura's upper body that was curled up into her side, the blonde's head resting on Jane's chest as she finally slept peacefully. They talked for a long time. They tried to find an explanation for Lizzie's outburst and tried to come up with ways to fix it, but nothing useful came up.

After a long time of talking and tears, Maura finally fell asleep but Jane couldn't find the rest. She tossed and turned and finally settled with Maura in her arms, staring up at the ceiling.

After what felt like hours of silence, Jane heard a door open down the hallway before light footsteps walked towards their room. Jane carefully sat up and saw the door opening. It was Lizzie.

"Hey, baby," she whispered softly, smiling at the sight of her sleepy and tired daughter.

Lizzie didn't speak or look at her. She walked over to the bed and climbed up on it. Maura woke up from the movement and sat up, smiling lovingly when she saw her daughter. "Hi, my love," she whispered quietly.

Again, Lizzie didn't reply. She climbed over Jane and snuggled in between her mothers, avoiding any eye contact.

Jane looked at Maura and raised her shoulders, not sure of what to do. Maura sighed and simply lay back down, guiding Jane with her as they both gathered Lizzie in their arms. Lizzie accepted it and nuzzled into the blankets and her mothers' warm arms.

She stayed silent for a long time, fumbling with the sheets without speaking. After a while, Maura sighed and kissed Lizzie's temple. "We're not mad at you, sweetheart," she whispered sincerely.

"But…" Lizzie sighed and her voice was weak and soft, "but I screamed."

"It's okay, baby," Jane whispered, stroking Lizzie's forehead with her thumb.

Lizzie's bottom lip quivered and a tear fell down into her temple. "I thought it was my mommy," she whispered through her tears. "I-… I thought…" she turned on her side and hid her face into Jane's chest, crying softly.

Jane felt Maura's arms wrapping tighter around Lizzie from behind as Jane kissed her daughter's head. "She looked like her, didn't she?" Jane asked carefully.

Lizzie nodded against her mother's chest.

"I recognized her too, from the pictures you showed us." Jane smiled a sad smile and kept her gaze locked with Maura's focusing on the loving look in her big, hazel eyes. "But it wasn't her, was it?"

"No," Lizzie answered through her tears, snuggling further into Jane's chest.

"Because she died," Jane whispered. Maura's eyes went wide and she frowned, but Jane knew she had to make this clear. Yes, it would hurt. But Lizzie needed to know. She needed to feel it. She needed to feel the loss or else she'd be looking for her parents for the rest of her life. "Your parents died, Lizzie. It wasn't your mother because she's dead."

Lizzie sobbed and gripped Jane's shirt with her small hands.

"Jane…" Maura whispered, tears in her eyes.

"She needs to know, Maur," Jane whispered back. She kissed Lizzie's head and pulled her close. "Your parents are not here anymore." She pulled back and cupped Lizzie's face, looking deeply into her light brown eyes. "But we are," she smiled at her daughter and stroked the girl's wet cheeks with her thumbs. "We're here and we love you so much, baby." Jane felt tears burning in her eyes and pressed her lips against Lizzie's forehead before looking into her eyes again. "I can't bring your parents back but I can promise you we will love you with all our hearts for the rest of our lives. I promise that, Lizzie."

Lizzie nodded and her breath hitched in her throat.

Maura hid her face into Lizzie's curls and kissed the back of her head. "We love you so much, baby girl," she whispered through her tears. She smiled a sad smile and pulled back to stroke Lizzie's curls. "You're our baby girl and we're never letting you go," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks, "I love you so much, sweetheart."

Lizzie nodded again. "I'm sorry, Mommy," she whispered.

"Oh, you don't have to be sorry, my love." Maura moved Lizzie to turn and face her as she looked into her daughter's eyes. "I understand you're sad and I understand you miss your parents." She smiled and brushed Lizzie's hair back. "I understand, honey."

Lizzie sighed. "Daddy always maked airplanes with paper," she said softly, fumbling with the hem of Maura's nightshirt. "They could fly real far." She smiled, her eyes focused on her small fingers on Maura's chest. "We go upstairs and threw 'em out the window and they go all over the street and then…" Lizzie giggled and sniffled away her tears, "mommy got mad 'cause the lady across the street says we gotta clean up the planes."

Jane smiled and felt a tear trickling down her cheek at her daughter's words. She remembered how she found Lizzie's parents when the homicide team arrived. It was a cold-blooded execution. It was about money. Her mother lay there, on her stomach, close contact wound to the back of her head. Her father put up more of a struggle and was shot multiple times in his chest. Jane remembered searching through the house and hearing whimpers coming from the closet in a little girl's room. She remembered opening the doors of the closet and seeing Lizzie for the very first time. She was sitting in the fetal position, knees hugged to her chest, hands covering her ears, tears streaming down her face, her entire body shaking violently. She remembered how she kneeled in front of her and managed to soothe her. She remembered how Lizzie accepted an embrace and how they kept that embrace for almost an hour. She felt so angry. Someone killed this little girl's parents and now she was all alone. They took Lizzie home that night and fell in love with her. They never stopped.

"I bet that was fun," Maura answered softly on Lizzie's paper plane story.

Lizzie nodded. "Hm hm. Like when Mama and me shot the wet paper towels in the kitchen."

"You did what?" Maura's gaze shot towards Jane and Lizzie giggled. A sound Jane loved with all her heart.

"We cleaned it up!" Jane defended herself, winking at Maura who smiled at Lizzie's giggles.

Maura moved to look into Lizzie's eyes. "Are you okay, my love?"

Lizzie shrugged as her giggles faded. "I just miss Mommy and Daddy sometimes," she answered softly. "But you're good Mommies."

"And you're a very good daughter," Maura said with a smile, kissing Lizzie's forehead.

"Baby," Jane whispered softly, "you know that when you're sad you can always come to us, right?"

Lizzie looked at Jane and didn't reply.

"When you miss your parents, or when you're just feeling sad or angry or hurt… We'll always be here for you." Jane smiled when Lizzie nodded and she brushed a strand of hair out of the girl's face. "You can just come to us to talk, or cry, scream… Whatever you need."

"Scream?" Lizzie asked, a slight sparkle showing in her eyes.

Jane chuckled. "Yeah. Sometimes you're really mad and you just need to scream for a while. That's okay."

Lizzie giggled and shook her head. "I don't wanna scream."

"What do you want then, love?" Maura asked softly.

Lizzie's smile fell. "I don't know."

"You just wanna stay here until you feel better?" Jane asked, soothingly rubbing Lizzie's belly.

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded and Jane saw the girl relaxing a little more. Both women gathered the girl back in their arms, forming a perfect circle around their youngest daughter, Lizzie safely in the middle, the love of her mothers surrounding her.

Jane leaned over Lizzie's head and pursed her lips, silently asking Maura for a kiss. Maura smiled a sad smile and accepted the kiss, pressing her lips against her wife's in a soft, loving kiss that lasted only a few seconds.

"I love you, Jane," Maura whispered barely audible.

"I love you too." Jane smiled and pecked Maura's soft lips again. "I love you so much."

Maura smiled and carefully untangled one arm from Lizzie to wipe a tear from her cheek before reaching over to cup Jane's cheek, who happily leaned into the touch. Maura's touches were always soft and loving. She was never rough or rushed. Her touches were slow and spoke of so much love. Every single touch of her wife made Jane tingle all over, even after years of marriage. She would never get tired of Maura's touches. She would never take her for granted.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Lizzie to fall asleep, safely wrapped in two pairs of motherly arms that were determined to never let her go. Jane and Maura fell asleep shortly after, drifting off into a quiet and peaceful sleep.

When Jane woke up the next morning, Lizzie was fuzzing silently while Maura was still sleeping. Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's head that rested against her shoulder. "Morning, baby," she whispered softly.

Lizzie looked at Jane and smiled, but Jane saw that she was incredibly tired and not feeling very well. "How are you feeling?"

Lizzie shrugged. "My head hurts a little."

Jane hummed and sighed. She looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was a little after eight, a good time to get up. It was Saturday and due to the fact that they wrapped up a case yesterday, Maura and Jane both had a day off.

"C'mon," Jane carefully untangled herself from the mess of limbs they fell asleep in, making sure not to wake Maura. She lifted Lizzie off the bed and put her down on the floor before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

Lizzie yawned as she followed her mother into the kitchen. "I'm tired, Mama," she said with a sigh.

"I know, baby." Jane hooked her arms under Lizzie's and lifted her into the air to put her on top of the kitchen counter. "We'll go for a nap after lunch today, okay?"

She didn't protest and just nodded. She was recovering from mono, but losing sleep and a night like yesterday didn't do her any good. "You feel like eating pancakes though?"

"Yeah!" Lizzie smiled a bright smile and straightened her back. "With blueberries?"

"You got it." Jane ruffled Lizzie's curls and got out the necessary ingredients, handing Lizzie a few eggs and some flour. "Remember when you were with Mommy and me for the very first morning and you got eggs all in your hair?" Jane asked with a chuckle.

Lizzie giggled. "Yeah. Mommy didn't even get mad."

"No, she didn't." Jane laughed and helped Lizzie cracking an egg, her large hand covering Lizzie's as they carefully dropped it in a bowl. "'Cause she wanted you to feel at home."

"But I am home," Lizzie answered, swinging her short legs back and forth.

"Yeah, you are now." Jane smiled and stroked Lizzie's cheek before adding some flour. "But back then, you were only with us for a day."

Lizzie nodded. "Oh yeah. And then you got to be my mommies 'cause my parents died."

Jane looked at Lizzie and saw that her gaze was focused on the pancake batter. This was the first time she said the word 'died'. It was the first time she said it herself. "That's right. We watched The Lion King that night, remember?"

"Yeah," Lizzie smiled, not moving her attention from the bowl, "'bout the lions and the big stinky pig."

Jane laughed and started whisking the batter. "That's what you called it, yeah." She smiled and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "And that's when I knew I was gonna love you for the rest of my life."

"How long is you my mommies?" Lizzie asked, looking up at Jane.

"Almost a year." Jane sighed with a smile. That wasn't long at all. It felt like Lizzie had been their daughter forever, but in reality it wasn't even a year.

"That's really long…" Lizzie said, staring into the distance.

Jane chuckled. For a five-year old, a year is a very long time. "Yeah, feels long, doesn't it?"

Lizzie nodded. "I'm gonna be six soon," she said with a shy grin. "It's gonna be my first birthday with you and Mommy."

"Yes, it is!" Jane smiled and grabbed a pan from the cabinet. "We have to start thinking about your presents."

Lizzie smiled and fumbled with her pajamas. "With my old mommy and daddy, we had breakfast in the big bed and then give presents."

"Would you like to do it the same way?"

"Can we?" Lizzie looked up at Jane, eyes sparkling with expectation.

"We can do anything you want, baby."

Lizzie nodded and focused on the pancake batter that Jane was pouring into the pan. "I'm gonna miss Mommy and Daddy on my birthday," she said softly.

Jane turned her attention towards her daughter and sighed. "I know, honey." She moved to kiss Lizzie's forehead and smiled at the little girl. "I promise we're gonna try to make your birthday just as awesome, okay?"

"Yeah." Lizzie smiled and looked into Jane's eyes. "I think you and Mommy make good birthdays."

"You bet we do," Maura said with a smile while she entered the kitchen, tying her robe around her waist. She placed her hand on Jane's waist and leaned into kiss her wife's lips. "Good morning, gorgeous," she whispered.

"Morning." Jane smiled and kissed her wife again before Maura moved to kiss Lizzie's head.

"Good morning, my love." She smiled and picked Lizzie up from the counter, hugging the girl in her arms. "We're going to have a great birthday party."

Lizzie nodded and wrapped her small arms around Maura's neck. "I know what I want for a present!" she said with a smile, straightening her arms around Maura's neck to look at her mother.

"And what is that?" Maura's eyes sparkled with love as she smiled.

"I wanna have the toys from the lions and the big stinky pig."

"Oh, The Lion King?"

Lizzie nodded. "From the movie we watched when you were first my mommies."

Maura smiled and pulled Lizzie back to her chest, gently rocking the girl from side to side as Lizzie's legs wrapped around Maura's waist, her ankles hooking together on her mothers' back. Maura winked at Jane, silently letting her know that she heard their conversation. "That was a great movie."

"Hm hm." Lizzie hummed and nuzzled her face into the crook of Maura's neck, her warm arms and familiar motherly love making the girl sleepy.

Jane chuckled at the sight and turned her attention back to the pancakes, adding the blueberries from the fridge. Maura leaned back against the counter, still holding Lizzie in her arms.

"Oh, pancakes!" Riley said as she walked into the kitchen, her hair messy from sleeping, wearing the outfit in which she slept; a pair of shorts and a baggy T-shirt.

"Morning, sweetie." Jane smiled when Riley stood next to her and slapped the girl's arm when she picked a blueberry and stuck it in her mouth.

Riley giggled and turned around when Maura reached out her arm for the teenager, pulling her in for a quick kiss on her cheek. "Good morning, love."

"Morning." Riley turned back and grabbed a glass from the cabinet before filling it with milk. "You okay, Liz?"

Lizzie turned her head against Maura's shoulder to look at her sister. "Yeah."

"You're hugging Mom again," Riley smiled as she stood next to Maura and Lizzie, "that's a good sign."

"Oh, you girls could never go without hugs," Maura smirked and rubbed Lizzie's back.

Lizzie agreed to that by shaking her head, eliciting a sweet chuckle from both her mothers. "Did you sleep well?" Maura moved her head to rest her cheek against Lizzie's temple to look at Riley.

Riley shrugged and took a sip of her milk.

Maura sighed and looked at Jane. They both knew what that meant. Jane turned around and grabbed a few plates before flipping some pancakes on them. "Nightmares?" she asked, giving Riley's arm a quick squeeze.

Riley nodded and averted her gaze. "That stupid man at the restaurant…"

"You said he didn't touch you," Jane said, immediately feeling guilty again about turning her back on the girls for a minute.

"He didn't," Riley answered, looking up at Jane, "I promise. He just talked to us and I told him to go away. It's just…" She sighed and shook her head. "Brings back memories."

"I know," Jane whispered as she tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "You know you could've come to us though, right?"

"Yeah," Riley shrugged. "But you were busy with Lizzie. I'm fine."

"We're never too busy for you, honey," Maura said, gently taking Riley's wrist in her hand, her other arm holding Lizzie.

Riley smiled a shy smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Jane chuckled and kissed Riley's forehead. "Now let's eat these pancakes before they get cold."

 _A/N Huge thanks to Broadway007 for inspiring these last two chapters! Your ideas are amazing._

 _I'll be gone for a week, so I don't think I'll be able to update until next Friday or Saturday. But don't worry, I'll be back! Just taking a break to go on vacation. Thank you all for your love and support! This story is so very close to my heart and your love and support means the world to me._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N I said no updates because I'm on vacation but I'm updating anyway. I'm still on vacation, but things are happening and I just need to get away and run to the lovely, crazy world of fanfiction every now and then. Hope you like this chapter! Please let me know your thoughts and feelings._

 **Chapter 7**

Maura sat on the couch, securely wrapped in her wife's arms, her favorite place in the world. Lizzie was sleeping and Riley was upstairs with Sarah, so the women enjoyed a little time for themselves for as long as it lasted. She loved the feeling of her wife's strong arms around her, especially since she had to leave for a conference the next day. She would be gone for three days and even though that wasn't a very long time, she always missed her wife terribly.

Maura sighed and placed a kiss on the bottom of Jane's jaw. Jane tightened her arms around Maura's upper body, pulling her impossibly closer into her side. "What are you thinking?" she asked softly.

Maura untangled her arm from around Jane's waist and took one of her wife's arms from around her shoulders to lace their fingers together. "Sarah seems different."

"Yeah." Jane sighed and rested her cheek against Maura's head, looking at their intertwined hands. "I think Riley's right about that Robin-girl. She's bad news."

"The paleness of her skin and the periorbital puffiness indicates that she's not getting enough rest and she's suffering from severe stress."

"I think it's more than just stress, Maur," Jane whispered, her voice laced with concern. Sarah came over quite frequently and Jane and Maura really liked her. She was one of Riley's first friends and a very good one. Sarah was polite, yet spontaneous and cheerful. But when she arrived this evening, she didn't even greet them properly and immediately went upstairs with Riley.

"I worry about her." Maura sighed and moved her head to look at Jane. She smiled at the sight of her beautiful wife and allowed herself to get lost in her dark, deep eyes for a moment.

"What?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow as she smirked.

"You're beautiful." Maura smiled and kissed the corner of Jane's mouth. "Absolutely beautiful."

Jane blushed and leaned in to press her lips against Maura's. They lost their selves in the kiss for a few moments until loud screams from upstairs startled them.

"Are you crazy?" Riley's voice called out before the women on the couch heard two pairs of footsteps running down the stairs.

"Riley, don't!" Sarah ran after Riley who stood still in front of her mothers, panting, looking furious.

"Sarah's using drugs." Riley had tears in her eyes and Maura saw anger burning in her bright blue eyes that seemed to have turned a shade darker. "Drugs!"

"She did what?" Jane straightened her back to look at the tall, blond-haired girl standing in the living room.

"What the hell, Riley?" Sarah waved her hands into the air. "Your mom's a cop!"

"Yeah!" Riley turned around to face her friend and placed her hands on her hips. "That's why! You need to stop, Sarah!"

"So you're telling on me?"

"Whoa, hey." Jane stood up and stepped in between the two fighting girls. "Calm down, okay? What happened?"

"Sarah used drugs." A tear trickled down Riley's cheek and Maura's heart broke at the sight. Riley's biological father used to be a drug-addict before he died, resulting in terrible physical and mental abuse. The fact that her best friend tried drugs broke Riley's heart and trust.

"Riley," Maura carefully stood up and stepped closer to her daughter but Riley stepped away.

"Do you even know what drugs can do, Sarah?" Riley asked her friend, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Do you have any idea what it can destroy?"

"It was one time, Rile." Sarah sighed and lowered her voice at the sight of Riley's tears.

"Was it, though?" Riley asked, frantically wiping her tears. "You're going to parties where there's alcohol," Riley counted on her fingers, slowly getting angry again, "you smoke. Regular cigarettes _and_ weed. You lie to your parents. You even lied to me! Robin is bad for you, Sarah!"

"Don't bring Robin into this!" Sarah stepped forward but Jane stopped her, gently pushing her back.

"You have to stop, Sarah!" Riley said, her breath hitching in her throat. "You…" She sighed and looked at her friend. "You can't use drugs."

"Really, it's none of your business, Riley!"

"It is!" Riley was screaming now and there was no way to stop it, both Jane and Maura knew it. "You gotta stop! You have to get your head out of your ass! You have no idea, Sarah! You have no idea what you did!"

She growled and wiped her tears before frantically pulling her shirt over her head, turning her scarred back to her friend. "You see this?" she asked, still screaming. "This is what drugs do! This is what happens when you take that _crap_!"

"Riley," Maura tried to stop her daughter but Riley stepped away again, avoiding any eye contact with her mothers as she kept looking at Sarah.

"This is drugs, Sarah!" Riley yelled, pointing at her bare back. She was shaking and tears were uncontrollably streaming down her face. "This is what happens!"

"I-… Oh my god, Riley…" Sarah whispered, staring at Riley's with wide eyes. "I had no idea."

Riley shook her head and took a few steps backwards. "No," she said, her voice dangerously soft. "You don't." She turned around and ran out of the room, stumbling upstairs where she slammed her bedroom door shut.

Maura closed her eyes and fought the tears that burned behind her closed eyelids.

"I really had no idea," Sarah said softly, her arms wrapped around herself.

"No," Jane answered. "But that doesn't mean it's okay what you did." She gently took Sarah's arm and guided her to sit on the couch, taking a seat opposite the girl herself. "You're sixteen, Sarah," Jane said softly, looking up at Maura who stood behind the couch before focusing back on the teenager in front of her. "You're a good kid, I know you are."

Sarah looked at Jane and Maura saw tears in her green eyes. Jane reached out to grab Sarah's hand, squeezing it softly. "You're a good kid," she repeated softly. "You can't let someone like Robin influence you like this."

Sarah lowered her head and sighed. "She loves me."

"If she loves you, she wouldn't put you in danger like this," Maura said softly, walking around the couch to stand next to Jane, placing a hand on her wife's shoulder. "Alcohol can cause serious brain damage on your age. And I don't know what kind of drugs you've been taking, but any kind of drugs is dangerous. That's not love."

Sarah looked up at Maura and her bottom lip quivered. "She makes me feel like I'm important," she whispered, slowly breaking down.

"You are important, Sarah," Jane answered, moving to look into her eyes again. "You don't need Robin for that."

"It was just one time. I never wanted to hurt Riley." Sarah wiped a tear from her cheek and shook her head.

"You didn't know." Jane sighed. "But you have to stop this, honey."

Maura felt herself getting anxious, desperately wanting to check on Riley. "Jane," she whispered, squeezing her wife's shoulder.

"Go." Jane smiled up at her. "I can take it here."

Maura nodded and hurried upstairs, hearing Riley's whimpers before she even walked down the hallway. She opened her bedroom door and saw her daughter on her knees leaning over on her bed, her elbows keeping her up, her back to the door. She was shaking, crying uncontrollably, the scars on her bare back sticking out like angry remarks, only a small part of it covered by her cotton pink bra.

Maura slowly walked into the room and kneeled next to Riley, placing her hand on the girl's upper back. The touch startled Riley at first, but when she looked at Maura she collapsed into her mother's arms.

"I didn't-…" Riley hiccupped, clinging to Maura's shirt, "I didn't mean to get so angry."

Maura sighed and rubbed Riley's back, pulling her daughter closer into her arms as she shifted to get more comfortable on the floor. "I know, my love," she whispered softly, kissing the top of Riley's head. "I know."

Riley was shaking and shivering in Maura's arms and Maura grabbed a blanket from Riley's bed, wrapping it around the girl in her embrace. "I love you so much, my sweet girl," she whispered, gently rocking her daughter from side to side, "everything's going to be alright. Sarah's going to be alright."

Riley nodded against Maura's chest and kept her desperate grip on Maura's shirt. "You sure?" she whispered through her tears.

"Yes, my love," Maura answered her. "We're going to help her."

Riley sniffled and moved to wrap her arms around Maura's neck, hiding her face into Maura's shoulder as she cried for a long, long time, not moving from her mother's arms.

After what felt like hours, Maura heard footsteps walking down the hallway before Jane and Sarah carefully entered Riley's bedroom. Jane kneeled beside the two of them and stroked the back of Riley's head. "You okay, baby?"

Riley nodded but didn't move from Maura's arms. Jane placed a kiss on Riley's head. "Sarah's here." 

Riley looked up at her friend and wiped her tears, seeing that Sarah was crying as well. "I'm sorry, Riley," she said softly. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

Riley nodded but didn't move. Sarah sighed. "You're lucky your mom's a cop." She smiled and looked at Jane for a moment. "She's gonna keep an eye on me to make sure I don't be stupid again."

"And that is…?" Jane asked, wanting Sarah to say the words.

"Drinking, smoking…" Sarah hesitated and fumbled with her hands. "And anything else."

Riley stood up from the floor and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. "What about Robin?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't think she's good for me."

Riley shook her head as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. She stepped forward and into Sarah's open arms, embracing her friend. "I miss you, Sar," she said softly. "You gotta come back."

Sarah nodded and pulled back, looking down at her feet. "I'm trying," she whispered, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Riley smiled and shivered in her blanket. "Now we just have to figure out how to make you fall out of love with that Robin."

Sarah looked up at her friend and smiled a sad smile at first, but chuckled when she saw Riley's smirk. It only took a few more seconds for both girls to break out in a fit of giggles.

Maura raised her eyebrows and looked at Jane, confused and baffled. Jane chuckled and stepped towards her, lacing their fingers together. "Teenagers," she whispered, slightly tugging Maura's hand to lead them out of the room, leaving Sarah and Riley alone.

In the hallway, Maura stopped Jane and wrapped her arms around her slim waist hiding her face into Jane's dark curls. "I've never seen her so angry with someone," she whispered, referring to Riley's outburst.

"Yeah." Jane sighed and kissed the side of Maura's head. "Completely understandable, though."

"Let's just hope it had enough impact on Sarah."

"I think it did," Jane said before she pulled back, looking into Maura's eyes. "And if it didn't, I think my talk with her did some good."

"Why? What did you say?"

Jane shrugged and smirked. "It's the fine art of combining tough love with a bad cop/good cop act."

"That's… An act that requires two people," Maura answered, confused. "Two cops, to be exact."

"Well, I have mad skills." Jane smirked and pecked Maura's lips. "I can play both parts myself."

Maura rolled her eyes and kissed her wife's lips. She sighed and leaned back into their previous embrace. "I'm afraid it triggered Riley's memories again," she whispered into Jane's shoulder.

"We can take it."

Maura nodded. "Yes, we can."

Jane pressed her lips against Maura's brow and sighed. When she pulled away she looked into her wife's eyes, stroking her cheek with her thumb. "I'm surprised the noise didn't wake Lizzie, though."

Maura's eyes went wide and she untangled herself from her wife to walk to Lizzie's bedroom, slowly and carefully opening her door. Lizzie was sitting up in bed, her eyes sleepy but wide, looking scared.

"Hey, baby," Maura said softly, approaching the girl. "Did the noise wake you?"

Lizzie nodded.

"There's no need to be scared, honey," Jane said with a smile, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Lizzie nodded and rubbed her eyes. "What happened?"

Maura sighed and sat next to her wife. "Riley and Sarah had a little disagreement."

"Little…?" Jane smirked and looked at Maura, but Maura glared at her wife. Lizzie didn't need to know the details.

"Everything's fine, love." Maura reached over to brush Lizzie's messy curls back and smiled. "Riley was just a little upset."

"She gonna be okay?"

"Yeah." Jane kissed Lizzie's forehead and gently squeezed her arm.

Riley's head peaked through the door. "Sarah's leaving." She opened the door and Sarah looked at them while she fumbled with her hands.

"Thanks for uhm… you know."

Jane smiled. "You're welcome."

Sarah nodded and rubbed her forehead, causing Jane to smile. "Sarah. You're a good kid."

"Thanks." Sarah said her goodbyes and Riley walked downstairs with her.

"You have to go back to sleep, love," Maura said, turning her attention back to Lizzie. "Otherwise you'll be very tired tomorrow."

"I'm tired all the time," Lizzie said, turning onto her side to face her mothers.

"Oh, but you're getting so much better." Jane smiled and rubbed Lizzie's belly. "You're not as tired as you were a while ago."

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't fall asleep at the movie anymore."

Maura chuckled and laced her fingers together with Jane's. "No, you don't." She smiled and stroked Lizzie's cheek. "My sweet girl."

Lizzie didn't reply and slowly closed her eyes, Jane's soothing strokes on her belly along with Maura's soft whisper lulling the girl to sleep. When she fully relaxed, both women stood up from the bed and walked out of Lizzie's room.

"I love you," Jane blurted out as soon as they were at the top of the stairs.

Maura turned around and smiled at her wife, stepping closer to wrap her hands around Jane's neck as she looked deeply into her eyes. "I love you too," she whispered sincerely. "I love you so much."

Jane nodded and pressed her lips against Maura's in a loving kiss. Maura hummed into the kiss and opened her mouth, welcoming her wife's familiar taste and touch. They kissed for a while, lazily, sloppy, lovingly. When they broke apart, panting slightly, they looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

Maura's hand left its place on Jane's neck and stroked her cheekbone with her thumb. "You're beautiful," she whispered. "Inside and out, you're so beautiful."

Jane blushed and placed a kiss on the corner of Maura's mouth. "So are you."

They simply stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds until Riley came walking up the stairs. Maura broke apart but kept her hand on Jane's lower back, wanting to keep contact with her wife.

"You okay?" Jane asked, turning to look at Riley.

Riley raised her shoulders and managed a small smile. "I'm not sure."

Maura sighed and brushed her daughter's hair back. "It triggered bad memories, didn't it?" she asked softly.

Riley nodded. She groaned softly and hid her face into her hands.

"Honey," Maura stepped closer and gently grabbed Riley's wrist, pulling them away from her face.

Riley shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"Yeah." Riley tried a convincing smile and succeeded slightly. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"Baby…" Maura protested but Jane stopped her by placing her hand on her upper arm. Maura sighed. Riley needed some time. She'd talk to them when she was ready. "Sleep well, my love," she said softly, kissing Riley's cheek. "I love you."

"'Night, Mom. Love you too."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Riley was crying in her room. Jane knew it. Maura and herself were sitting up in bed, leaning back against the headboard. They decided to give Riley space and let her come to them herself, but that wasn't easy.

"Jane…" Maura turned her head to look at her wife and Jane saw pain and concern in her hazel eyes.

Jane sighed and took Maura's hand in her own, squeezing it softly. "If it's not quiet within the next half hour, we'll check. Okay?"

Maura nodded and leaned into Jane's side, resting her head on Jane's shoulder as she kept their fingers laced tightly together. They didn't have to wait half an hour. It only took ten more minutes for Riley to come out of her bedroom and knock on Jane and Maura's open bedroom door.

She slowly opened the door further and Maura immediately opened her arms for the crying teenager. Riley's arms were wrapped around herself and she was shaking, as she was only wearing a big T-shirt. She climbed up on the bed and nestled in between her mothers, hiding her face into her hands while Maura wrapped her arms around her and Jane kissed her head.

Riley cried softly for a long time, not moving her arms away from her face, Maura's warm arms soothing her, Jane strokes on her head slowly calming her down.

"It's okay, honey," Jane whispered, not knowing what else to say but wanting to comfort her daughter. "We're here. He can't hurt you anymore."

Riley's breath hitched in her throat before she took a deep breath, moving her arms away from hiding her face. "Remember that guy Mike?" she asked softly, her voice soft and laced with tears.

"There's no way I'm forgetting him," Jane answered softly, already getting angry at the memory of him. Riley's father used to send her to this guy, Mike. Mike had drugs. Riley's father had no money. Mike gave Riley drugs for her father if she stripped down for him. He was now in jail, thanks to Riley, but the memories were still alive.

"I was always so mad at him," Riley said, staring at the wall as she fumbled with the sheets. "Just because he was the one that gave my dad the drugs. I hated him 'cause he offered him the thing that made him hurt me."

Jane sighed and pressed a kiss against Riley's temple. "I know," she whispered, at loss for words.

"He sat there, looking at me," Riley hesitated and closed her eyes, "touching himself, and when he finished he just gave me a paper bag and I knew that when I gave it to my dad, I would just make things worse."

"You didn't, honey," Maura said, but Riley shook her head.

"Of course, it was even worse if he didn't get it, but still…" Riley sighed and Jane saw fresh tears leaking from her eyes. "Then I got home and gave it to my dad, but it was only enough for like one or two weeks and then I had to go back for more."

Jane closed her eyes and felt a sting of hurt in her chest. Riley didn't speak about this often, especially not in such details. The case of Mike was handled by the drug unit, and Jane didn't know all the details of the file. She had no idea her daughter was sent to that man so frequently.

"Sometimes he had money," Riley continued while she draped her arm over her eyes, trying to absorb her tears. "Then I didn't have to go. But then I had to stay home with him and take care of him." She shrugged. "Wasn't much better."

"He's gone, my love," Maura whispered, placing her hand on Riley's stomach where she made gentle strokes.

"I know, but he's still in my head!" Riley sobbed quietly and shook her head under her arm. "I got so mad at Sarah and she only tried it one time but I just…" She groaned and sobbed quietly. "Sometimes I just feel his burns on my back and his rough hands hitting me and sometimes I wake up at night and I feel like my back's been torn apart but it's not and it's just a memory… But… I don't even know why I got so mad at Sarah. It's not like she's an addict, but just that she tried it made me so mad and so scared."

Jane listened intently to her daughter's rambling. She still went to therapy, but less frequent due to the summer vacation. Maybe she needed it more than they thought. Jane didn't know what to say. She wanted to take the memories away, but she couldn't and that killed her.

"We love you, honey," Jane said, gently pulling Riley's arm away to look at the girl. "That's all I got." She smiled a sad smile and brushed Riley's brown hair out of her face. "I wish I could take those memories away, but I can't. All I can do is love you for the rest of your life and I know that's not enough to make the pain go away but I just…" Jane sighed and realized she was rambling.

"It's not enough to make the pain go away," Maura softly finished for her wife, "but maybe it's enough to fade the sharp edges."

Riley turned to look at Maura and let out a grateful sob before covering her face again. "I'm such a mess," she cried in between a laugh and a sob.

"Oh, you're not a mess." Maura kept her gentle strokes on Riley's stomach. "You're confused and hurt, but you're not a mess, sweetheart."

"I am," Riley cried, turning on her side to hide herself in Maura's arms. She sobbed loudly into Maura's chest while Jane rubbed her back, leaning up on her elbow as she looked at her wife with concern and pain.

"You're not, my love," Maura whispered, her gaze still locked with Jane.

"Your feelings are a little messed up right now," Jane added, placing a kiss on the back of Riley's head. "But that doesn't make you a mess."

"Just sleep, honey." Maura's voice was soft and soothing as Riley's breaths slowed down. "Tomorrow's a new day and the sun will rise again…"

Jane smiled at her wife's words. She told Lizzie the same not long ago and it meant a lot to her that Maura used the same words to comfort Riley.

"The sun will rise, and I'm not saying the pain will be gone, but it will all feel different, I promise. You need to sleep, my love."

Riley nodded weakly and Jane saw the girl relaxing in Maura's arms. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Leaving her mothers awake and worrying.

"Sleep, Maur," Jane whispered, looking into Maura's eyes that screamed exhaustion. "You have that conference tomorrow."

Maura sighed. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"It'll be fine, babe." Jane managed a reassuring smile. "Like you said, tomorrow's a new day and the world will look different."

"Yes, but her memories won't."

Jane closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I know."

When she opened her eyes again, silent tears were trickling down Maura's cheeks. Jane carefully reached over Riley to wipe them away. "Maura…"

Maura shook her head and sniffled. "It hurts me so much to see her in pain," she whispered, carefully pulling Riley closer. "I just love her so much. I love them both so much."

Jane swallowed and kept wiping Maura's tears with her thumb. Maura leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. "I love you all so much," she whispered barely audible.

Jane quietly cleared her throat but couldn't reply. The sincerity and honesty in her wife's words made her heart swell with love and her throat close up with tears. She recognized the love Maura was feeling. It was this unconditional, protective, caring, endless love a mother felt for her child. The love that made her want to keep her daughters in her arms forever, protecting them from all the pain in the world, loving them with all their hearts and more. The kind of love that Jane had never felt before, until they adopted Riley and later Lizzie. It was overwhelming, heartwarming and had the ability to rock your world.

It took a long time, but after a lot more tears and quiet whispers, the two women finally fell asleep, only waking up when Lizzie came into the bedroom a little before eight.

She quietly slid into the bed next to Jane, startling her awake. Jane smiled at the feeling of her blond curls tickling her cheek when Lizzie leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Mama, wake up."

Jane opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the small girl that was kneeling on the side of the bed. "Morning, baby," she whispered, careful not to wake Maura and Riley.

"Was Riley sad last night?" Lizzie asked, resting her head on the pillow next to Jane's head.

Jane nodded and leaned up on her elbow, looking down at the blonde-hair child next to her. "Yeah."

"Did you make it better?"

"I hope so." Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's forehead. She gathered the girl into her arms, hoping to get some more sleep after a short and restless night. Luckily, Lizzie drifted off rather quickly so they all slept for another hour until Maura woke them.

"Jane, my love," she whispered, gently shaking Jane's shoulder.

Jane opened her eyes and yawned. Riley was sitting up in bed, hugging her knees as she yawned as well, looking like she just woke up. Jane groaned and carefully untangled herself from Lizzie to lean over and peck her wife's lips. "Morning."

Jane pulled away but Maura pulled her back to kiss her again, eliciting a sweet smile from her wife. "God, I hate that you have to go to conferences."

Maura hummed and sighed. "They're necessary for my field of expertise."

"I know. I just hate missing you."

Riley groaned and rolled her eyes, shifting to sit up against the headboard, effectively keeping her mothers from kissing. "It's three days, Ma. Don't be so dramatic."

Jane chuckled and tickled Riley's side. "Don't pretend like you won't miss her!"

Riley laughed and squirmed away from Jane's hands, waking Lizzie in the process. Lizzie sighed and snuggled into Jane's side, trying to fall back asleep.

"C'mon, wake up baby." Jane smiled. "We gotta help Mommy pack 'cause she has to go out of town."

"Nooo, why Mommy?" Lizzie asked, turning to look at Maura.

"I have to work there, honey." Maura smiled and reached over to brush some hair out of Lizzie's face.

"Where?"

"A little outside of Boston. Just an hour and a half away."

Suddenly a thought popped into Jane's mind. "Maur," she said softly, "aren't you close to Worcester?"

"Really?" Riley's face lit up and she looked at Maura with wide eyes.

Maura sighed. "Yes."

"Oh Mom, can I come with you, please?" Riley pleaded, turning to face her mother. "I don't have any plans for the next few days except for with Sarah but I can cancel those and please please please can I come?"

"Honey, I'll be at lectures all day, having business dinners at night…"

"Maur," Jane said with a smirk, "I don't think she wants to come to spend time with her mom."

"You're not spending three days and two nights with Alex," Maura said, her voice turning strict, mostly towards Jane.

"Okay, c'mon." Jane got out of bed and grabbed Maura's hand, leading her towards the hallway where they could talk in private.

"I don't appreciate this, Jane," Maura said, placing her hands on her hips. "I would like it if you discussed this with me first before you say this to Riley."

"I know, I'm sorry. Don't you think it'd be good for her though?" Jane said, gently grabbing her wife's hand. "You said you only have one dinner, so you could spend the second night with Riley."

Maura sighed and thought about that for a few moments. "She did tell me about the financial problems of Alex and his father." She shook her head and squeezed Jane's hands. "But I'd have to drive her back and forth and she'd be spending three days with him."

"I don't think she minds that. Alex's a good kid. We met his dad, he's a good guy."

"I know." Maura leaned forward to kiss Jane's lips and turned around to grab her purse from the bedroom, checking the calendar on her laptop. "I only have to attend two lectures on the first day, and a meeting later, but I'll be free for dinner and the night. The second day is completely packed, including dinner."

Riley started bouncing on the bed, looking at Jane with pleading eyes. Jane smiled at her and motioned her to wait.

"The third day I have one more lecture I have to attend, but I don't necessarily have to attend the last one so we could have the afternoon off together."

"So…?" Riley asked, leaning forward towards Maura.

"I don't like to make these decisions last minute!"

"It's spontaneous, that's the best kind of decisions." Riley crawled forward and sat on her knees next to Maura, almost begging her. "I promise I'll be good, Mom. It'd be fun to spend a few days with you."

"Oh, that's not what got you so excited," Maura said, shaking her head as she closed her laptop.

"Okay, maybe not in the first place," Riley admitted with a smirk. "But it would be nice!"

Jane looked at Maura and knew she couldn't deny that. "I already made a reservation for one at the hotel."

"So… you add one? Or I sleep on the floor. Or in your bed. Worked just fine last night." Riley folded her hands and looked into Maura's eyes. "Please, Mom? It'd make me so happy…"

Maura sighed. "Oh, you know how to persuade your mothers, don't you?"

Riley nodded frantically.

Maura looked at Jane and Jane nodded. "Go, Maur," she whispered. "It'd make her so happy."

"Okay then."

Riley squealed loudly and threw her arms around Maura's neck, squeezing her painfully close. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed with the brightest smile in the world. "I love you!"

Maura smiled and wrapped her arms around the skinny girl. "I love you too, sweetheart."

"Oh my gosh I'm gonna tell Alex!" Riley kissed Maura's cheek and sped off towards the door, but turned back to kiss Jane's cheek as well. "Love you too, Ma."

Jane chuckled and patted Riley's back. "Go tell him."

Riley squealed again and ran towards her bedroom to grab her phone.

"I wanna come too, Mommy," Lizzie said with a pout, feeling excluded.

"And leave me all alone at home?" Jane said, walking towards the side of the bed where she lifted Lizzie in her arms. "I'd be so lonely!"

"But Mommy and Riley's gonna make a trip!"

"Yeah, they have to sit in the car for a reaaaally long time and have boring dinners at boring restaurants…." Jane smirked and leaned back, holding Lizzie securely in her arms. "We're gonna make a huge party at home, baby."

"A party?" Lizzie's face lit up with a sweet smile as her light brown eyes sparkled.

"Oh, yeah."

Maura smiled and stood up to make the bed. Jane shifted Lizzie to her hip and touched Maura's back. "Are you mad?" she asked carefully.

Maura turned around and smiled. "No. Although I would have appreciated it if you offered the idea earlier, but it's fine."

"I didn't think about it until this morning."

Maura nodded and moved closer to kiss Jane's lips. "It's okay. It makes her happy." She smiled and kissed Lizzie's cheek. "And I think this girl will be very happy to have a party with Mama, won't you, honey?"

Lizzie nodded. "Yeah!"

Maura chuckled and continued making the bed while Jane walked towards Lizzie's bedroom to help her get dressed.

After a few hours of packing, stressing and excited squeals from Riley, Maura and Riley were finally ready to leave. Lizzie was currently in Maura's arms, receiving multiple kisses all over her face as Maura said her goodbyes. 

"I'll miss you, baby girl," she said after kissing Lizzie's forehead. "Promise you'll be good for your Mama, okay? Take care of her."

Lizzie nodded and straightened her back like she just got a great responsibility. Jane chuckled at the sight and reached her arms to take Lizzie, but Maura refused.

"No, just a little longer," Maura smiled and pecked Lizzie's cheeks, nose and forehead.

Riley groaned and adjusted her backpack. "C'mon, Mom."

Jane laughed and wrapped her arms around Riley. "She's gonna miss Lizzie's snuggles for three whole long days," she smirked, kissing the side of Riley's head. "Y'know she's gonna pour all those snuggles into you, don't you?"

Riley groaned but Jane felt her laughing against her. She pretended to hate it sometimes, but it was her foundation and she loved it. Jane squeezed Riley close and kissed her cheek. "Say hi to Alex from me."

Riley nodded. "Will do."

"And don't do anything crazy."

"Crazy?"

Jane sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "You're about to spend two to three days with a boy you obviously have a crush on and your ma's a cop. Don't do anything crazy. Behave."

Riley nodded, knowing that Jane meant business. "Of course."

"I love you."

"Love you too." Riley pulled back and grabbed Maura's arm. "Mom…"

Maura hummed and finally let Lizzie go, kissing her head before putting her down. She moved to wrap her arms around Jane's neck while Riley and Lizzie walked towards the garage to put Riley's stuff into the car.

Jane leaned in to press her lips against Maura's in a deep, heated kiss. When they broke apart, Jane's stomach tickled and her head was spinning. "God, I'm already looking forward to the moment you come back and I can kiss you again."

"It's just three days, Jane." Maura smiled and kissed her wife's lips again.

Jane smiled into the kiss, loving her wife's taste and soft lips. "You know how much we could kiss in three days?"

Maura smirked as her hands travelled lower towards Jane's sides. "A lot."

"Exactly."

"I love you, Jane."

"I love you more."

"Oh, stop it," Maura smiled and pressed her lips against Jane's in a last, heated kiss that lingered for a long time.

"Mom!" Riley came walking back, getting impatient.

"Okay, I'm coming." Maura pecked Jane's lips and squeezed her sides before walking towards the garage.

"C'mon, let's wave them goodbye." Jane took Lizzie's hand and watched as Maura and Riley got into the car, Maura kissing her wife's lips again through the open window before she took off.

They waved until they drove around the corner and Jane lifted Lizzie off the ground, swinging her through the air before carrying her on her hip. "How should we start our party?" she asked while she closed the garage door.

"Pizza!"

"Pizza it is." Jane smirked and carried Lizzie inside, placing her on top of the kitchen counter. "How about…" she hurried towards the living room and grabbed the remote to turn on the radio, "some music?"

Lizzie giggled and swung her short legs back and forth, laughing harder when Jane danced towards her in a silly way. She almost fell over from her loud giggles and was gasping for air. "Stop Mama, you're silly."

Jane smirked and swayed around the kitchen to grab two glasses. "We're gonna have soda 'cause Mommy's not home. How does that sound?"

"Yeaaah!"

Jane handed Lizzie the drink and loved how her big, light brown eyes sparkled above the glass, looking at her mother with cheerfulness and love. This was the old Lizzie. The bouncing, cheerful, happy Lizzie. She'd be exhausted in less than two hours, but for now, the old Lizzie was back and Jane loved it. She soaked in every minute and poured all her love and energy into making these moments last. Lizzie was coming back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Maura honked the horn of the car, telling Riley to hurry. She said she forgot something and ran back to Alex's house, but she was gone for ten minutes now. Maura was eager to get home. The conference was interesting, but she missed Jane and Lizzie.

It was nice to have a few days with Riley. They had dinner together, spent the nights watching TV and talking in their hotel room and Maura drove her daughter back and forth to Alex. Riley was having a great time. Alex had planned all kinds of great activities and Maura was convinced he liked her daughter. Even though Riley had to spend one afternoon at the hotel because Alex had to work, he did everything he could to make these days as enjoyable as possible and Riley told everything with great enthusiasm to her mother every night.

"Finally," Maura said as Riley opened the door to the passenger seat. She looked at her daughter and raised her eyebrows. She was glowing with happiness. "Everything okay?"

Riley sighed and looked at Maura, her eyes sparkling, cheeks red with a blush, lips curled up in an almost hypnotized smile. "He kissed me," she said softly, her cheeks only reddening further.

"He did?" Maura tried her best to contain herself and not express any worry or protectiveness, truly feeling happy for her daughter.

Riley nodded. "I said I really enjoyed these past few days and he said he did too. I thanked him and then I said I really liked him and…" she looked at Maura and smiled. "He said he really liked me too and then he kissed me."

Maura smiled a sweet smile and tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "I'm so happy for you, honey."

Riley's smile turned even wider. "It was just for a second and really light but I felt like my insides were flying, you know?"

"Yeah," Maura chuckled when she thought about every single kiss with Jane that did exactly the same. She laughed at Riley's flushed state and leaned forward to lightly kiss her forehead. She started the engine and drove off, towards home. Towards the love of her life and her youngest daughter.

The drive was mostly silent except for the occasional question and fun fact from Maura, until after almost an hour, Riley received a text and grinned when she read it.

"What?" Maura asked, eager to know what happened.

"Alex asked me to be his girlfriend," Riley answered, smiling brightly.

Maura looked over at her and saw her bright blue eyes sparkling like she'd never seen before. She felt tears burning in her eyes at the sight. "That's amazing, love."

Riley nodded and started texting back, staying silent for the rest of the drive.

When they drove up to the house, Lizzie ran towards the car, waving her little arms in the air. "Mommyyyyy!"

Maura laughed and quickly turned the car into the garage, hurrying out to kneel and open her arms for the little girl. Lizzie almost knocked her over as she threw her arms around her mother's neck. Maura felt tears in her eyes as she hugged her daughter close, not even understanding why she was this emotional.

"I missed you, Mommy," Lizzie said, her arms around Maura's neck as she wiggled on her feet.

"Oh, I missed you too, my love." Maura smiled over Lizzie's shoulder when she saw Jane walking outside to wrap her arms around Riley, immediately starting to interrogate her about her days with Alex.

Maura chuckled and turned her attention away from them to kiss the side of Lizzie's head. "I love you, my baby girl," she whispered before lifting Lizzie off the ground, not letting go of the tight embrace.

"Love you too, Mommy."

"How are you feeling?" Maura asked, pulling back as she laced her hands under Lizzie's bottom, holding her up as the little girl's arms stayed wrapped around her mother's neck.

Lizzie shrugged. "Tired 'cause of the movies."

"You went to the movies?"

Lizzie smiled widely and nodded. "Yep! We saw the one about the ice princess. She made the whole city in snow!"

"Oh, that sounds like a fun movie."

Lizzie nodded and leaned forward to rest her head on Maura's shoulder. "I had fun times with Mama but it's good you is back."

" _Are_ back," Maura corrected her. "And why's that?"

Lizzie played with Maura's hair on her back and snuggled into Maura's shoulder. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, honey." Maura sighed and loved to have the little girl in her arms again. Three days wasn't long at all, but she was a sucker for her children's snuggles.

She pulled away and moved Lizzie to her hip, needing to feel her wife's lips on her own. She walked towards Jane who just untangled herself from Riley and cupped Jane's cheek to press her lips against hers. "Hey, gorgeous," Maura whispered, her lips inches away from Jane's.

"Hey yourself." Jane smirked and kissed Maura's lips again. "Hmm, I missed you."

Maura moaned against her wife's lips. "I missed you too, babe." She was already anxious to get her wife into bed that same night. She fought to keep their next kiss light and broke it when Lizzie tugged on her shirt.

"Mommy, I wanna show the picture I made."

Maura smiled and pecked Jane's lips again before turning her attention back to Lizzie. "Of course."

That same night, everything was unpacked and Maura sat at the dinner table, working on her laptop to catch up on her e-mail. Jane was having a beer on the couch and Riley was upstairs taking a bath. Lizzie was painting in her Disney-coloring book next to Maura.

"Mommy?" Lizzie asked, leaning her chin on her hand on the table as she kept coloring. "What's gonna happen in the first grade?"

Maura looked at Lizzie and smiled at the adorable girl. "Well first of all, you're going to learn how to read and write." 

"I can write my name already!" Lizzie said, lifting her head and grinning proudly.

Maura smiled. She could, but she wrote the two Z's backwards every time. "I know you can."

"And Mama told me how to write mama, but I can't write the Ah from Mama." Lizzie grabbed another marker from the table. "They're too hard."

"You'll learn to write them in first grade."

Lizzie stopped her movements and looked at her mother, insecurity showing in her light brown eyes. "Is it gonna be hard?"

Maura smiled and reached over to brush Lizzie's blond curls back. "Maybe at first, but we picked a very good school for you with very good teachers and they'll help you if it's hard." She stroked Lizzie's cheek with her knuckles. "But you're a very, very smart girl."

"Noooo," Lizzie shook her head and giggled slightly. "I'm not smart."

"Yes you are!" Maura protested, pulling her hand away. "What makes you think you're not?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I can't write the Ah's in Mama."

"Oh kiddo," Jane said, standing up from the couch, "before you know it, you'll be writing all the A's in the world." She walked to the fridge to grab another beer and sat down at the edge of the dinner table. "You know how smart Mommy is?" Jane asked with a wink at Maura.

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded. "Mommy's _real_ smart 'cause she's a doctor."

"Exactly. And that means you're _real_ smart too."

Maura tilted her head, but didn't want to explain anything about DNA and biological parents. Besides that, it seemed to comfort Lizzie. Maura closed her laptop and opened her arms for Lizzie, pulling the girl in to her lap. "Are you nervous about going to school?" she asked softly, looking at Lizzie who shifted to lean sideways into Maura's front.

Lizzie shrugged. "A little, 'cause I don't know the kids there."

"I'm sure you'll make very good friends." Maura smiled and rested her chin on top of Lizzie's head that rested against her chest.

"What if I miss my old friends?" Lizzie asked, snuggling onto Maura's arms.

"You can still see them," Jane brushed Lizzie's curls back and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "You're gonna be fine."

Maura sighed and pulled her daughter impossibly closer, having truly missed the girl in her lap the past few days. "I love you, baby girl," she whispered quietly, kissing the top of Lizzie's head.

"I'm not a baby." Lizzie turned and nuzzled her face into Maura's chest, resting her small hand on Maura's stomach.

"Hmm, you're my baby," Maura closed her eyes and rubbed Lizzie's back. "Is that okay?"

Lizzie sighed deeply, eliciting a sweet smile from both her mothers. "You always say that, Mommy."

"Does it bother you?" Maura pulled back to look into Lizzie's eyes, searching for an honest answer.

Lizzie shook her head. "No."

"Okay." Maura kissed her daughter's blond curls and they stayed silent for a while until Lizzie started to yawn, getting really tired.

"Bedtime, Liz," Jane said with a ruffle to Lizzie's curls and a kiss to Maura's lips. "You wanna take her?" she asked Maura.

"Please." Maura smiled a bright smile. She loved putting her girls to bed.

Jane chuckled and leaned down to cover Lizzie's face in playful kisses, tickling her sides while she did, eliciting loud giggles from the girl. "Goodnight, baby."

Lizzie's giggles faded as her mother's tickles stopped and she reached up her little arms to hug Jane. "Night, Mama."

Jane smiled and pulled Lizzie off Maura's lap to give her a hug. "I had a great time with you, Liz." Jane smiled over Lizzie's shoulder, winking at Maura. "We had amazing parties."

"Hm hm!" Lizzie nodded and pulled back to peck Jane's cheek before she squirmed out of her arms. "Night, Mama. Love you!"

"I love you too, Liz."

Maura took Lizzie upstairs and helped her to put on her pajamas, brush her teeth and hair, wash her face and everything that goes with her nightly routine. Lizzie was truly getting better. A few weeks ago, she was always fell asleep by the end of the story but today she stayed awake until the last word, listening intently. She even had enough energy left to tell Maura about her days with Jane, and it truly sounded like she had an amazing time.

"So," Jane said as Maura came back downstairs, walking into the kitchen, "I heard Riley kissed someone?"

Maura smiled and grabbed a glass of wine before turning her attention towards Jane who sat at one of the stools at the counter. "She did."

"How worried should I be?"

Maura laughed and turned to face Jane. "Not at all. She told me it was just one light kiss."

"Okay, how come she always tells you those details and not me?"

"Because you'll act like a detective and try to arrest him." Maura smirked and placed her hand on Jane's thigh, squeezing lightly.

"Maybe."

Maura laughed and turned to see Riley walking into the kitchen, wearing shorts and a wide shirt, her hair wet from the bath she took. She looked a little shy and uncomfortable, telling Maura that she needed to get something off her chest. Maura leaned against the counter and looked at her daughter. "Talk, honey."

Riley sighed and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Maura tilted her head and glared at her daughter. "Riley."

Riley sighed and rubbed her forehead while she walked towards the fridge to grab herself something to drink. Jane looked at Maura and raised her eyebrows, silently asking if she knew what was bothering Riley, but Maura shook her head. She didn't know.

So, she did what she always did when she didn't know. She searched her mind for possibilities. Riley kissed Alex. She was in love with him, or at least had a pretty big crush on him. It made her confused, because she usually was shy and a little uncomfortable around men. But Alex was different. He was a polite boy and he treated Riley with a gentleness Maura didn't see very often in sixteen-year old boys. Riley was tired as well, the last three days having worn her out. She was insecure. She was insecure about her appearance and herself. Maybe that was the problem.

Maura looked at Riley and examined her expression and body language. She was slightly bending over, avoiding eye contact with her mothers. She wore a baggy shirt and shorts, hiding her skinny body. That was probably it. Insecurity.

Maura sighed and stepped towards Riley, rubbing her back. "You're beautiful, honey."

Riley looked at Maura with wide eyes, surprised to know her mother had figured out her feelings this quickly. She shook her head and averted her gaze again, filling a glass with juice.

"No, I'm not," she whispered.

Jane stood up from her chair and walked towards the two of them, resting back against the kitchen counter next to Riley. "We've been over this a lot of times, sweetie," Jane said softly, her voice sweet and caring. "What triggered this?"

Riley's bottom lip quivered and Maura saw tears in her blue eyes. "Alex posted a picture of us together online, when we had a picnic at the park." Riley sighed and kept her attention on the glass on the counter, her hand still holding the bottle of juice. "It was just a silly picture of both of us standing on rocks. His dad took it. He posted it and…" A tear trickled down Riley's cheek and she wiped it immediately. "A girl from his class commented what he was doing with a girl like me who…" her voice turned into a soft whisper and she closed her eyes. "a girl who looks like an eight year old boy."

"Oh, god…" Maura whispered, standing closer to Riley as she placed her hand on her upper back.

"Who said that?" Jane asked immediately, anger and protectiveness showing in her eyes.

Riley shrugged. "I don't know her. Alex deleted it, so the comment's gone now. He said it's just a stupid girl from his class. He unfriended her as well."

"Good." Maura nodded and pressed her lips against Riley's temple. "You should stop cyber-bullying as soon as it starts."

"But it's true," Riley whispered, looking up at Maura. "I look like an eight-year old boy!"

"No, honey!"

"Yeah!" Riley's tears spilled onto her cheeks and she looked into Maura's eyes. "Remember when you took me shopping a while ago? We had to shop in the kid's section 'cause that's the only place that had my size!" She frantically wiped her tears and shook her head. "We had to buy those 'my first bra' things because I don't even have boobs! And then when I tried them on you had to comfort me 'cause my _stupid_ scars got me all upset!"

"Riley…" Maura tried to stop her daughter but Riley was right. There was no shame in it, but her body wasn't very far developed for a fifteen-year old girl. Her diet had been very poor in the first ten years of her life, and that caused her body to stay behind. She was short and undeveloped. But she was so beautiful. If only she saw that.

"How is any boy ever gonna want a body like mine?" Riley raised her voice and kept wiping her cheeks.

"No boy should care about that, honey," Jane offered, touching Riley's hand on the kitchen counter. "It's not about your body."

"It is for me!" Riley's breath hitched in her throat and she took a deep, shaking breath. "All the other girls my age look so different!"

"Honey, listen." Maura placed her hands on Riley's upper arms and forced her to look at her. She brushed Riley's hair back and looked deeply into her eyes. "You are different. I'm not going to deny that. Your diet has been very poor for the first ten years of your life and you've been abused in terrible ways. That causes growth retardation. Yes, your body is less developed than other girls your age and yes, it will take longer." 

"Oh great, that helps." Riley rolled her eyes but more tears welled up in them.

"I'm not finished. Your body is different but all that matters is your kind heart and sweet soul. I know it seems like it matters what you look like, but it doesn't. It really doesn't."

"No," Jane pitched in, walking around Riley to stand next to Maura. "Nobody should care about what you look like. We certainly don't as long as you're healthy."

This made Riley smile, but only slightly. Maura sighed and wiped her daughter's tears. "You're healthy, that's really all that matters. You're menstruating, not regularly, but you are, and-..."

"Really, Mom? You're gonna talk about my period?" Riley grunted and rolled her eyes again, eliciting a sweet smile from her mother.

"You're so beautiful, my love." Maura caressed Riley's cheek and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. She wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her close to her chest. "I love how short you are because it makes it easier for me to hug you. You're my little girl."

Riley let out a sad laugh and wrapped her skinny arms around her mother's waist while Jane kissed the back of her head. "I just wanna be like the other girls," she whispered. "I just wanna be normal."

"Normal is overrated," Jane said, looking deeply into Maura's eyes.

"People like normal."

"Who?"

"Guys do."

Jane sighed and rubbed Riley's back. "Alex seems to like you just the way you are."

Riley turned her head on Maura's chest and looked at Jane. "He's never really seen my body."

"What, he just saw a floating head all this time?" Jane smirked as Riley giggled, a sound that made Maura's heart swell.

"No," Riley laughed, wiping her cheeks, not moving away from Maura's chest. "But I always wear wide shirts or dresses."

"Alex is a good guy," Jane said, caressing Riley's messy brown hair. "He's not into you for your body. If he were, I would've kicked his ass a long time ago."

"Jane!" Maura glared at her wife for her use of language, but she knew Jane was right. She sighed and pulled Riley even closer. "Alex thinks you're beautiful. I can tell by the way he looks at you."

Riley pulled back and looked up at Maura. "Really?"

Maura chuckled and brushed Riley's hair out of her face. "Yes."

Riley smiled that smile she smiled when she talked about Alex and hid her face back into Maura's chest. "But I wanna have boobs," she mumbled.

Maura laughed and kissed the top of Riley's head. "Boobs are overrated, my love," she answered, still laughing.

"Hmm, no they're not." Jane smirked and pressed her lips against Maura's in a quick but loving kiss.

Riley chuckled and kept her face hidden in her mother's chest, a safe and loving place that would always be there to catch her when she fell. "I love you so much, my sweet girl," Maura whispered. "You're so beautiful and we love you so much."

"We love you baby," Jane added, stroking Riley's lower back. "With or without boobs."

Riley laughed and untangled one arm from around Maura's waist to pull Jane into the hug. "I love you too," she whispered through her tears.

Maura smiled at Jane over Riley's head and pursed her lips, silently asking for a quiet kiss. Jane smiled and pressed her lips against Maura's, not audible for the girl in their arms. She looked into her wife's endlessly deep brown eyes and they spoke silent words of love with just a look. Those eyes were her home and her life. She was not just back home from the conference. She was at home with her family. The loves of her life.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N Sorry for the late update, life is crazy right now. Hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know your thoughts and feelings!_

 **Chapter 10**

"Ma?" Riley's head peaked through the bedroom door where Jane was changing out of her work clothes after a long and disappointing day of trying to solve a case while Maura and Lizzie just went out for some grocery shopping.

"Yeah?" Jane invited Riley in by waving her hand while she pulled one of her grey BPD shirts over her head.

"Can I uhm…" Riley sighed and stepped into the bedroom. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"It's kinda stupid actually."

"I'm sure it's not." Jane smiled and patted the edge of the bed, inviting Riley to sit down next to her.

Riley sighed and shook her head, and Jane saw that she was losing her nerve. "Sarah broke up with Robin," she said instead. "Or actually the other way around… But they broke up."

Jane knew this wasn't what Riley wanted to talk about, but she decided to give her some more time. "That's great."

Riley nodded. "Yeah. Sarah said she didn't want to go out 'cause she didn't want to drink anymore and Robin called her stupid and they got in this big fight and they broke up."

"Oh, too bad this is the way it had to go." Jane smiled and rubbed Riley's knee. "But it's good that they broke up."

"Yeah." Riley smiled and looked at her mother. "She said she never wanted to see Robin again."

"Did she straighten things out with her parents?"

"No, not really." Riley's smile fell and she shrugged. "She doesn't want to argue with them."

"Yeah… Avoiding the subject is a great way of solving things," Jane smiled at her daughter, clearly telling her to spill it already.

Riley tilted her head and sighed. "I just… There's so much things I don't know."

"You mean like… in general? 'Cause not even your mom knows everything."

"No," Riley chuckled and lowered her gaze. "I mean about…" she shook her head. "It's really stupid."

"Riley, stop." Jane smiled and tilted Riley's chin, trying to make eye contact. "Just tell me. Nothing is stupid, nothing is weird."

"I mean about sex."

Jane was slightly startled by that but composed herself quickly. Of course she didn't know much about it. The only education she received was in school, and that wasn't much. Jane knew Maura informed her about some things, but there were a lot of things left to learn for the teenager. She didn't grow up with anyone to teach her.

"I didn't want to ask Mom 'cause she's gonna be all… doctor-y about it and explain things in gross ways even though she means well but I just…" Riley sighed and smiled a sad smile. "People talk about things I don't understand at all and it makes me feel stupid."

"It's not stupid," Jane said, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "You didn't have anyone to teach you."

Riley shook her head.

"But now you have."

Riley smiled a grateful smile and braced herself to talk. It took a while, but she continued to ask every sex-related question she could think of. Jane explained every single thing as well as she could and it wasn't even uncomfortable. Some things made Riley giggle, or cringe, or even gasp, but they talked about all of it. Jane knew Riley wasn't nearly ready for sex, but she still made sure to make it very clear that Riley was too young for it.

She knew it was bad, but it made her feel happy that Riley came to her with her questions. Usually, Maura was the one to talk to Riley most of the time. But this time, she needed Jane. Maura would have approached all this in a very scientific and technical way and even though there was nothing wrong with that and Maura could probably have explained some things better than Jane, Riley needed Jane to explain it.

After almost an hour of talking, Maura and Lizzie came home, calling them from downstairs. "Maaamaaa!"

Jane chuckled and patted Riley's knee. "Well, quiet time's over."

Riley smiled and looked into Jane's eyes. "Thanks, Ma."

"You're welcome." Jane smiled and stood up before she kissed the top of Riley's head. "And if you ever have any more questions…"

"I'll ask."

"Good." Jane pulled Riley up from the bed and led her downstairs to meet Maura and Lizzie. The girls had spent the afternoon with Angela because Jane and Maura were busy at work, but they had the night off together.

"Mama, we bought candies!" Lizzie immediately ran into Jane, almost knocking her over.

Jane smiled. This was her usual energy, before she got sick. "You did? How'd you manage that?"

Lizzie shrugged. "'Cause I'm so sweet." She grinned up at Jane and Jane couldn't help but laugh. This little girl knew very well how adorable she was in this moment.

Maura sighed and started unpacking the groceries, Riley helping her immediately. "She wouldn't stop whining."

"How come I don't get candy when I whine?" Jane asked, stepping towards Maura to kiss her lips.

"Because even though you're adorable, you're not as adorable as our five-year old." Maura smiled and pressed her lips against Jane's again.

"Not fair." Jane pouted but smiled when Maura kissed her pout.

Riley continued to help Maura pack away the groceries and took off towards the backyard to Facetime with Alex while Lizzie rushed towards the living room, playing with her toys. Jane smiled at the small moment she had alone with her wife and wrapped her arms around Maura's waist from behind, pressing her lips against her neck.

"Oh, Jane," Maura sighed and leaned back into Jane's front, lacing her fingers with Jane's on her stomach. She turned her head and nuzzled her nose into Jane's neck. "You feel so wonderful," she whispered softly, her breath tickling Jane's skin.

Jane chuckled and tightened her arms around her wife. "Riley came to talk to me," she whispered, gently rocking them from side to side.

"She did?"

"Hm hm. About sex." 

Maura's eyes shot open and she turned in Jane's arms to face her. "What?"

Jane smiled and stroked Maura's hips with her thumbs. "She only had the sex talk in school, you know? Turns out that wasn't a very… complete talk."

Maura sighed and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck. "What did she need to know?"

"Uh, well… Teenage stuff, you know?"

"I don't know the definition of 'teenage stuff', no." Maura tilted her head but her eyes sparkled.

"You know, boundaries, what to do, first, second and third base, different kind of 'jobs'… Stuff like that."

"Oh…" Maura averted her gaze and thought about that for a few moments. Jane had explained the bases to her when they first started dating, and Jane could see that it bothered Maura a little to know that Riley didn't come to her with this.

"She just needed someone to explain it," Jane said with a smile, reaching up to brush Maura's hair over her shoulder. "She didn't have anyone before."

Maura smiled and Jane saw her disappointment slowly fading. "I'm glad she has now."

"I made sure to make it very clear she's not having sex any time soon." 

Maura chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Jane's lips. "Of course you did."

"She's fifteen, Maur!"

"I know! I agree. She's too young." Maura moved her hands to cup Jane's face and stoked her sharp cheekbones. "But I think her past makes it rather difficult for her to engage in any sexual activity any time soon."

Jane sighed as the mood turned serious. "Yeah… You think that will ever change?"

Maura shrugged and smiled a sad smile. "I think she needs a lot more therapy sessions, answers to her questions and a lot more time. A lot more time."

Jane nodded and leaned forward to hide her face into the crook of Maura's neck as her wife's arms wrapped around her upper body, pulling her close. She loved holding Maura, but she loved being held by her as well. Maybe even better. Maura was her safe place, her home and her life. "I love you, Maur," Jane mumbled into Maura's soft skin. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Jane," Maura whispered back, placing continuous kisses on her wife's head.

Jane took a deep breath and inhaled Maura's scent, the lovely smell of fruity shampoo, faded perfume and a hint of honey. "You smell nice."

Maura chuckled and tightened her grip around her wife, always loving to be in her arms. "Thank you."

"I kinda wanna take you to bed right now," Jane smirked and pulled back to press her lips against Maura's.

Maura giggled into the kiss and tangled her hands in Jane's dark curls, deepening the kiss by opening her mouth and exploring her wife's mouth with her tongue. They kissed for several minutes before they remembered Lizzie in the living room and Riley in the backyard.

Maura broke the kiss and moaned slightly in disappointment. "Let's get the girls to bed."

"It's nowhere near bedtime for Riley, Maur." Jane smirked and pecked her lips.

Maura sighed. "Then I guess we'll have to wait a little longer before I have my way with you." She broke the embrace and smirked seductively, causing Jane to crash their lips together again.

Maura laughed and their teeth clashed together, eliciting chuckles from both women. Jane broke the kiss and placed a last sweet kiss on Maura's forehead. She turned to look at Lizzie and saw the girl lying on her arm on the coffee table, lazily moving her toy through the air.

She approached her youngest daughter and sat behind her on the floor, kissing the back of her head. "What happened?" Jane asked. "Buzz tired from all the world-saving he did?"

Lizzie smiled and shook her head. "No, I am."

"You saved the world?"

Lizzie laughed and turned to climb into Jane's lap, still holding on to her toy. She snuggled into Jane's front and traced her toy with her small fingers. "He was gonna save Mickey from the big bird."

Jane looked at the Mickey Mouse toy and the stuffed bird animal on the coffee table and smiled. Lizzie sure had an active imagination. "Is the big bird bad?"

Lizzie nodded. "Yeah, real bad."

"What did he do?"

"He wants to break the Mickey."

"Oh, that _is_ bad." Jane smiled and rested her chin on top of Lizzie's head, looking at Maura who was staring lovingly at the two of them from behind the couch. "Did he save Mickey?"

Lizzie nodded against her mother's chest. "Yeah 'cause he's badass like you."

"Lizzie! "Maura gasped, stepping closer to them. "Where did you learn that word?"

Lizzie looked up at Maura with wide eyes, dropping her hands with the toy into her lap. "From Riley. She says Mama's badass 'cause she catches the bad guys."

Jane looked at her wife and tilted her head, trying to look as adorable as possible. "That is the truth," she whispered.

"Well, yes but I don't appreciate our five-year old daughter using that kind of language." Maura reached her arms to lift Lizzie off Jane's lap, holding her to her front. "You can't say that word, okay?"

Lizzie nodded, looking intently into Maura's eyes.

"Just... say that Mama is very good at her job and very…" Maura pursed her lips and tried to think of a nice word to replace badass. "Fierce."

"I don't know what that is." Lizzie shook her head and moved her hands with the toy around Maura's neck.

"It means that Mama is very strong," Maura looked into Jane's eyes and Jane felt her heart swelling with love. "And she's very good at catching bad guys and protecting people."

"Protecting?" Lizzie asked, stretching her arms around her mother's neck to look at her.

Maura nodded and looked back from Jane to her daughter. "Yes. She'll do anything to keep the people she loves safe and that's what makes her so fierce and beautiful."

Lizzie nodded and seemed to agree with that. She moved her arms away and leaned forward to snuggle into Maura's chest. Maura smiled and sighed deeply, pulling the girl close as she gently took the toy away from her and handed it to Jane. "Bedtime, my love."

"I don't wanna," Lizzie mumbled, eliciting sweet laughs from both her parents.

Jane stood up and wrapped her arms around both Maura and Lizzie. "Yeah, I missed hearing that!" She kissed the back of Lizzie's head and Maura's lips.

Maura sighed in disapproval, hating how her daughter always protested when she had to go to bed, but Jane could tell she was happy to hear those familiar words again. "Come on, we're going to get you into bed."

Jane pecked Maura's lips and rubbed Lizzie's back. "Sleep well, baby. I love you."

Lizzie moved to kiss Jane's cheek. "Night, Mama."

Jane smiled and watched Maura taking Lizzie upstairs to put her to bed while she went to check on Riley in the backyard. "Hey kiddo," Jane greeted Riley, surprised to see she wasn't talking to Alex any longer. "How's Alex?"

"Fine, I think."

"You think?" Jane chuckled and sat down next to Riley on the garden seat. "Didn't you just talk to him?"

"He had to take an extra shift at work."

"Oh, that's too bad." Jane tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her messy ponytail behind Riley's ear.

Riley nodded. "Haven't talked to him in so long."

"What, three days?" Jane laughed and relaxed against the back of the seat.

"Four!" Riley shot an angry look at her mother but smiled when she thought about how four days wasn't long at all. "Okay, it's not so long."

"No, not really." Jane chuckled and squeezed Riley's leg. "I used to have a long-distance relationship."

"Really?" Riley turned to face Jane and looked at her. "With Mom?"

"No," Jane smiled and hesitated if she should tell Riley about Casey, but she figured it couldn't hurt. "He was in the army, stayed in Afghanistan for long periods of time."

"He?" Riley raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"But… I thought you were… I thought…."

"I'm gay?" Jane chuckled and smiled a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I am. I just didn't realize that until I met your mom."

"So I'm guessing that relationship with the army-guy didn't turn out well."

Jane sighed when she thought about her time with Casey. "No. But that wasn't about the long distance or my sexuality. He wasn't good for me."

"What do you mean?" Riley looked intently at her mother, fascinated by every word.

Jane shrugged. "He took me for granted. Took off to serve the army, came back to me when it was convenient for him. Eventually, he got a great job opportunity and he asked me to marry him or else he'd go away again."

"Please tell me you kicked him in the balls," Riley said, slightly raising her voice. "That's like… blackmailing or something, isn't it?"

Jane laughed at her daughter's passion. "Didn't feel like it back then. But yeah, it's not a nice move."

"It's a dick move."

"Whoa, hey." Jane raised her hands and glared at her daughter. "I'm not as strict about language as your mom but I draw the line at penis-obscenities, okay?"

Riley chuckled. "Sorry. What happened?"

"I thought about it for a long time. Your mom told me not to marry him a hundred times. It took a positive pregnant test for me to come around."

"You were pregnant?" Riley asked softly, her mouth hanging slightly open.

Jane looked into Riley's blue eyes and realized she had never told her about this before. "Yeah, I was."

"What happened?"

Jane shrugged. She didn't like to talk about it. She tried not to. It still hurt her. It wasn't in her plan back then to have a baby, but when it got real, she actually looked forward to it. Losing a baby is something she would carry with her for the rest of her life. "I got hurt at work. Lost the baby."

"Oh my gosh," Riley whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah." Jane smiled a sad smile and reached up to caress her daughter's cheek. "But your mom sat beside me in the hospital the entire time. Made me realize that she's the one I should be with."

"Really? That's when you fell in love with Mom?"

Jane chuckled and shook her head. "I think I've been in love with your mom from the moment I met her. It only took me years to admit it to myself."

Riley smiled and looked down at her hands in her lap. "Were you disappointed? About losing the baby?"

"Yeah." Jane sighed and felt that memory of hurt burning in her stomach. "But also a little relieved. I was all by myself back then. I had your mom as a good friend, but I didn't have a partner. I was afraid of raising kids without a loving partner."

Riley nodded. "Did it hurt?"

"Well, I was shot through my flak jacket, so yeah," Jane chuckled, "it was a little painful." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Turns out it messed up my uterus a little. Makes it harder to have babies now."

"Ma," Riley whispered, looking at her mother, "you have two babies."

Jane looked into Riley's eyes and smiled. "Of course. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant… growing babies in my uterus."

Riley wrinkled her nose. "Who would ever want that anyway, let's be honest. Push an entire child out of your vagina? No thanks."

Jane laughed and patted Riley's knee. "Touché." Her smile fell and she sighed contently. "We have two perfect babies, we don't need anything else."

"Mush, mush." Riley giggled and squealed when Jane tickled her sides.

"Oh, yeah?" Jane chuckled and intensified her tickles, causing Riley to scream and almost fall off the seat.

"What is going on here?" Maura asked sternly, walking into the backyard. "I just put Lizzie to bed, can you please keep it down?"

Riley laughed and squirmed under Jane's tickles. "Ma's fault!" she managed to get out, slapping Jane's arms.

"Ow," Jane faked pain and pulled away.

Riley's laughter died down and Jane stood up from the bench, followed by Riley. "I'm gonna go see if Sarah's online and then sleep."

Maura nodded and reached out her arm to kiss Riley's forehead. "Good night, my love."

"Say hi to Sarah." Jane smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Will do. Love you!"

As soon as Riley was inside, Maura's lips were on Jane's in a heated kiss, both women moaning softly. It startled them and they broke away, giggling as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I've always wanted to have sex outside," Jane whispered seductively.

Maura gasped and tightened her grip around Jane's neck. "Jane, we can't."

"Don't worry," Jane smirked and pulled Maura down on the garden seat so she was straddling her, "we'll be quiet."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"God Jane, you're so good at that," Maura panted as she tangled her hands in Jane's curls, feeling satisfied in every inch of her body. "Come up here," she mumbled, pulling Jane further on the bed to kiss her lips.

Jane smiled and accepted the deep, loving kiss. Maura loved making out after sex. Not because it was hot or she could taste herself on Jane's lips. She loved it because she just felt their overwhelming love and passion all over again. Being in each other's arms and kissing felt just as good as making love, if not better.

When they broke the long, lazy kiss, Jane carefully rested her entire body on top of Maura's, leaning up on her elbow as she traced patterns on her wife's chest. "You're beautiful," she whispered, looking at Maura like she was a rare piece of art. "I love you like this."

"Naked and in our bed?" Maura smirked and massaged Jane's scalp under her curls.

"Yeah." Jane chuckled and reached up to trace Maura's jaw with her fingers. "But also just… with messy hair, no make up, sweaty, freckly… No one looks this beautiful after sex."

Maura blushed and pulled Jane closer to her, her lips inches away from her own. "Now, that's just not true."

"It's not?"

Maura shook her head, her lips gracing Jane's. "You are."

Jane smiled and closed the small distance between their lips, kissing her wife with passion and love. Breaking the kiss, Jane looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand and sighed. "I'm kinda sad that the girls have to be back in school next week."

"Why's that?" Maura asked, tracing her fingers along Jane's bare muscular back.

"I'll miss them around the house all day."

"Aw," Maura looked at Jane and pursed her lips. She laughed when Jane rolled her eyes. "You pretend to be tough but you just want to cuddle with your girls all day."

"I am tough." Jane smirked and lowered her hand to trace Maura's collarbone. "Didn't you hear Lizzie? I'm badass."

"Yes, and I still need to talk to Riley about teaching her that word." Maura smiled to herself. She actually loved the fact that her daughters saw Jane as badass. It showed they felt safe and protected. She wrapped her arms tighter around Jane's upper body, pulling her closer into her, but Jane wouldn't let her. "Jane," Maura whined.

"I'll crush you," Jane protested softly.

"No, you won't." Maura tightened her grip and moaned when Jane stopped supporting herself on her knees and lowered her entire body onto Maura's. "I love you," she whispered as she roamed her hands over Jane's back and sides. "You're beautiful and amazing and I love you." She kissed Jane's head that rested on her chest and inhaled her lovely scent. "My sexy badass."

Jane smirked against Maura's chest. "Look who's trash talking now."

Maura slapped Jane's arm.

"Kidding. I love you too. I love you more."

"More than I love you?" Maura asked, a hint of teasing in her soft voice. "I doubt that."

"No, I mean…" Jane lifted her head to look at Maura and caressed her face with her fingers. "More than anyone or anything in the world and more than I'll ever love anyone ever again."

"Jane…"

Jane smiled a shy smile and lowered her hand, tracing patterns on Maura's neck and chest. "It's like you're a piece of my heart and without you, my heart's just not complete. You make me so happy, Maur. You're so beautiful and so… perfect."

Maura swallowed a lump in her throat as tears burned in her eyes. "You're making me cry," she whispered, a tear trickling down into her hair. She pulled her wife down back to her lips, kissing her softly and lovingly. "I love you so much, my love." She kissed Jane's lips, cheeks, chin, nose, forehead… "My love, my friend, my soulmate, my badass protector," she smiled and moved back to Jane's lips, "my life."

Jane didn't reply and just continued the kiss, her hands roaming through Maura's hair, along her skin, towards the swell of her full breasts.

Just when Maura felt her arousal building again, she heard a bedroom door opening and quick footsteps padding towards their bedroom. She was just in time to roll Jane off of her and cover herself up before Lizzie opened the door, looking scared.

"Mommy," she whimpered, still holding on to the doorknob.

"What's the matter, baby?" Maura asked, holding up the sheet as she reached out her arm, inviting Lizzie onto the bed.

"There's monsters, Mommy!"

"Monsters?" Maura pulled Lizzie into her arms and kissed the top of her head. "Where?"

Lizzie shrugged and started crying. She put her arms around Maura's neck and cried into her mother's shoulder, not even noticing the lack of clothing. "In my dream."

"What kind of monsters?" Jane asked, looking at the little girl with a slight smile.

"Hungry ones. They wanna eat me."

"Oh, that's not gonna happen." Jane grabbed her baggy T-shirt from the floor and threw it over her head. "We have to chase them away."

"What?" Lizzie loosened her grip and looked at Jane, confused.

"Yeah, c'mon." Jane reached out her arms and lifted Lizzie off Maura's lap, swinging her through the air before following her to her room.

Maura smiled to herself and quickly put on her robe while she followed Jane and Lizzie, curious to know what Jane had up her sleeve. When she arrived at Lizzie's bedroom, she saw Jane performing some kind of weird ninja-dance that caused Lizzie to giggle so hard she almost fell of the bed.

"See?" Jane said, checking the closet, corners and all the dark places in the room. "They're scared of me 'cause I'm a detective. They're all gone now."

"Oh, they're not just scared of you, Jane," Maura smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Lizzie up as her head was hanging upside down from the bed, almost falling to the floor. "They're scared of Lizzie too."

"They are?" Lizzie asked, looking at Maura with wide eyes.

"Hm hm." Maura nodded and brushed her daughter's messy blond curls back. "You can chase them away as well."

"How?"

"By doing the same thing I did!" Jane said triumphantly, plopping herself down next to Lizzie and Maura. "They're scared of the light. So you just gotta put on the light, check all the hiding places."

"But honey," Maura looked at Lizzie and cupped her face, looking into her light brown eyes, "monsters actually don't exist." She didn't want to make her daughter fear things that don't exist, not even if it was all fun and games.

"But they're gonna eat me…" Lizzie said, looking at Maura with wide eyes.

"Oh no," Jane smiled and brushed her daughter's messy blond curls back. "No one wants to eat you. You would taste very bad."

Lizzie giggled and snuggled into Maura's front. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah." Jane winked at Maura and took Lizzie's arm, playfully pretending to sink her teeth into it before Lizzie pulled it away with a squeal.

"Shh, Riley's sleeping," Maura laughed, protecting Lizzie from Jane.

"See?" Jane made a face and tried to 'eat' Lizzie again. "You don't taste good at all."

Lizzie giggled loudly and hid into Maura's arms, crawling away from Jane before moving behind the blonde, hiding behind Maura's back. "Mommy, Mama's gonna eat me!"

Maura smiled and pretended to protect Lizzie. "No, she just said you don't taste good, remember? No one's going to eat you."

"Oh," Lizzie slowly moved away from behind Maura's back, crawling into her lap again. "Yeah."

Suddenly the door opened and Riley stood in the doorway, looking sleepy and annoyed. "Do you guys _have_ to have a giggly snuggle party in the middle of the night?" she asked, her voice hoarse and laced with frustration.

"I'm sorry, love," Maura said, not able to wipe the smile off her face.

"Lizzie had monsters so we had to chase them," Jane said with a smirk.

"Great. Can you do that without making noise, please?"

Maura chuckled and nodded. "Of course." 

"Thanks."

"I love you!" Jane called after her, smiling. 

"Yeah, love you too!"

Maura turned her attention back to Lizzie and saw that her thumb went into her mouth again, a habit she really wanted to break, but they had been unsuccessful so far. She gently pulled Lizzie's wrist down and kissed her hairline.

"Mama," Lizzie said, turning her head on Maura's chest to look at Jane, "there's also monsters in my tummy."

"In your tummy?"

Lizzie nodded. "Can you chase them too?"

"I don't know baby," Jane said, placing her hand on Lizzie's stomach, "what do they feel like?"

Lizzie shrugged and her bottom lip quivered. "Like they're gonna eat me."

Maura sighed. "That could be a form of anxiety," she whispered, looking into Jane's brown eyes that had filled with concern.

Jane nodded and kept stroking Lizzie's stomach, her soft strokes slowly soothing the girl while she stayed securely wrapped in Maura's arms. "Does it hurt?" Maura asked, wanting to make sure the girl was healthy.

Lizzie shook her head. "No, I think."

Maura sighed and put Lizzie down on the bed, laying her on her back so Jane could continue her comforting strokes on her belly. Lizzie had, although she was small and rather short for her age, an adorable chubby children's belly that she would grow out of soon.

"You don't have to be afraid, honey," Maura whispered, stroking Lizzie's forehead as the girl looked up into her eyes. "You don't have to be scared. We're here."

Lizzie nodded, hanging on to Maura's words like only a child could. "I love you, baby," Maura smiled and leaned forward to press her lips against Lizzie's cheek. "My delicious baby girl." She smirked and brushed her daughter's curls back.

"I'm not delicious, I taste bad!" Lizzie said with a lazy giggle.

"Oh yes, to eat." Maura chuckled and watched Jane continuing her soothing strokes on Lizzie's belly. "But not for kisses."

Lizzie giggled and covered her face with her arms as Maura attempted to kiss her cheeks and forehead. Maura smiled and felt tears burning in her eyes at the adorable sound of her daughter's giggles. She would never get tired of that sound.

"Try to sleep honey," Maura said, still smiling. "Tomorrow is a new day."

Lizzie nodded and turned on her side, causing Jane to stop her strokes on the girl's stomach. "I'm gonna dream 'bout Buzz catching the bird," Lizzie said, already getting sleepy.

"Good, that's a great dream." Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's temple. "Sleep well, baby."

"'Night, Mama," Lizzie mumbled with her thumb in her mouth.

Maura fought the urge to pull it away, knowing it calmed Lizzie down. "Good night, my love." She took Jane's hand and led the two of them back to their bedroom where Maura discarded her robe and pulled her wife down to lie next to her. She pulled Jane's shirt off in the process and molded herself into Jane's bare back, her hands caressing the brunette's toned stomach. She sighed contently.

Jane turned her head and kissed Maura's lips before wiggling her lower body to get comfortable, pulling Maura close by her arms around her waist. They fell asleep whispering quiet words of love.

The next morning, Maura took a quick shower and put on a pair of dark jeans and a red blouse, tying her hair in a classy ponytail before walking downstairs where Riley was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"Morning, love," Maura greeted her oldest daughter. "Is Lizzie still sleeping?"

Riley shrugged. "I think so."

"I'm sorry we woke you up last night." Maura turned and grabbed a mug from the cabinet to pour herself some coffee.

"It's alright."

"Are you okay?" Maura turned on the coffeemaker and walked towards Riley on the couch, seeing that she wasn't paying much attention to the TV at all.

Riley nodded but didn't say anything, causing Maura's concern to grow. "Riley…" Maura reached up and brushed her daughter's messy brown hair back.

"Do you wanna have your own babies?" Riley spilled out, turning her head to look at Maura.

The question startled her. "What do you mean?"

"Ma told me she was pregnant and lost the baby and I can imagine you'd want to have kids of your own one day."

"We have kids of our own, sweetheart," Maura said softly, not entirely sure where this came from so suddenly.

"No, you don't. You adopted us."

"Riley," Maura placed her hand on the girl's arm, "where is this coming from?"

"Nowhere."

Maura tilted her head. Riley knew there was no way to fool her mother in this and she sighed deeply. "You just… You always call us baby, and I know you'd love to have a baby of your own, to give birth and see it grow up and all that and Lizzie and I can't give you that!"

"Honey, you give me so much more."

Riley shook her head and swallowed. "Not biological kids."

"No, and I don't need that." Maura gently took Riley's chin in her hand and forced the girl to look at her. "We adopted you and Lizzie because it's difficult for us to have children of our own, yes. The chances of your Ma carrying a child after the shooting is very rare and for myself…" Maura sighed and smiled a sad smile. "I'm healthy and everything works fine, but I'm way past 40 now."

"See?" Riley said, tears welling up in her eyes. "That's what I mean. We're a substitute for-"

"I wasn't finished," Maura interrupted her, still cupping her cheek. "Why would we go through excessive treatment, countless doctor appointments, thousands of dollars worth of hospital costs and who knows what else, just to have our own biological children when we can give a loving home to two girls who need it more than anyone?"

Riley looked into Maura's eyes as a tear trickled down her cheek. Maura gently wiped it with her thumb. "I'd rather give two girls in need a family. The only thing I feel sorry for is not knowing as a little child." Maura smiled and stroked Riley's cheek. "I would've loved to have you in my arms as a newborn baby and see you grow into this lovely, beautiful girl you are…"

"I was an ugly baby," Riley mumbled, fighting against her tears.

Maura laughed and leaned forward to kiss her daughter's forehead. "No, you weren't. I've seen pictures, you've always been beautiful." She pulled back and smiled. "The only reason I'm sometimes sad I couldn't give birth to you is that I missed the first fourteen years of your life. I missed fourteen years of _you_." Maura smiled a sad smile and caressed Riley's cheek. "But that doesn't compare to all the reasons you make us happy, love. I would never trade you girls for any biological child. Never."

Riley nodded and leaned forward into her mother's arms, hiding her face into Maura's shoulder. "I just thought about a little baby as badass as Ma and as smart as you and I thought… Lizzie and I can never compare to that."

Maura chuckled and pulled her daughter close. "You're better. So much better." She kissed the top of Riley's head and sighed. "Although I don't appreciate you using the word 'badass', especially not around your little sister."

"Oh…"

"Yes. Lizzie is five and way too young to be using that kind of language. So please keep things decent?"

Riley nodded but couldn't suppress a chuckle as she wrapped her skinny arms around Maura's waist. "Okay."

"I love you, my sweet girl," Maura whispered, relaxing against the back of the couch with her oldest daughter in her arms. "My baby."

Riley smiled against Maura's shoulder and snuggled even closer. "Even though we're not your birth-babies?"

Maura rubbed Riley's back and kissed her messy brown hair. "Yes. I'll always love you girls more than anything in the world."

 _A/N A lot of you have been suggesting therapy for Lizzie and I don't think that's a bad idea, I just think Lizzie is doing okay with just the help from her mothers right now. That will change in a few chapters, but for now she's doing fine. Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story, it means a lot to me!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N I always write quite a few chapters in advance and I came to a point where I lack inspiration. So please, let me know if you have any ideas! Something you missed up until now, storylines you would like to read, constructive criticism, creative story ideas… All suggestions are welcome!_

 _Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story, it means the world to me._

 **Chapter 12**

"Lizzie! Not in the house!"

"C'mon, Maur," Jane said, stepping next to her wife in the kitchen, looking at Lizzie who was shooting an arrow into the living room. "It's her birthday."

"Yes, and she will break something." Maura walked towards Lizzie and hooked her arms under hers. "Outside, love."

"But Mommy, I wanna shoot Buzz!" Lizzie looked up at her mother and pouted.

"You can do that, outside." She urged Lizzie towards the backyard and sighed as she watched the girl walking out, holding her present in her arms.

"I still don't appreciate the fact that Frankie got her a weapon like that," Maura said, looking at Jane.

"A weapon?" Jane smirked and took Maura's hand in hers. "It's made from plastic and it has those sucker things at the end of the arrows so it'll stick to doors and windows."

Maura sighed and shook her head, leaning forward to wrap her arms around Jane's waist. "It's still representing a weapon."

"It's just a toy," Jane said softly, putting her arms around Maura's upper body as she hugged her wife close, the sound of her family chattering coming from the backyard. The weather was incredibly nice and the schools would start next week, so they soaked up every minute of sunshine they could get.

"I know." Maura nuzzled her face into the crook of Jane's neck and rubbed Jane's side with her hands. "I can't believe she's six already."

"I know," Jane smiled and pressed her lips against the top of Maura's head, inhaling the delicious scent of her shampoo and perfume. "Before we know it, she'll be off to college…"

"Oh, Jane," Maura slapped Jane's arm and chuckled, not moving her head from Jane's shoulder. "I don't even want to think about that yet."

Jane smiled and pulled her wife closer. "She'll move out of the house… Only visit us at Christmas and Thanksgiving…"

"Jane, stop it!" Maura pulled back and laughed, capturing her wife's lips in a quick and loving kiss. "It's giving me a stomach ache just thinking about it."

Jane chuckled and brushed Maura's hair back, caressing her cheek with her fingers. "Riley's not far away from it, you know."

Maura sighed deeply and her smile fell. "I know." She looked into Jane's eyes and smiled a sad smile. "God, it's so unfair that we only got to have her in our lives for four years before she'll be moving away for college."

"It's too early to be sad about that," Jane said softly, keeping her hand on Maura's freckled cheek. "We'll be plenty of sad when that day arrives."

"Right." Maura shook her head and smiled. "First it's time to get sad over missing our girls for four days when we celebrate out anniversary." She smiled and brought her lips close to Jane's without touching them, "six years together, of which three years married to the love of my life," she whispered, smiling lovingly. "The six best years of my life."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and closed the small distance between their lips, kissing the love of her life. "I can't wait to continue to be married to you for the rest of my life," Jane whispered against Maura's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Maura tangled her hands in Jane's hair and pulled her in for another kiss, but it got interrupted too quickly.

"Mama, can I have more cake?" Lizzie walked into the kitchen, this time holding one of the presents she got from her mothers, a Pumbaa action figure. She loved The Lion King and watched it every week during the summer and the present was a hit. Of course, Maura bought her some children's books she would hopefully be able to read soon. Besides that, they got her some new clothes, a few Toy Story figures, and Angela bought her a new paint set. Lizzie was delighted and cheerful.

"You just had dinner, baby." Jane smiled and broke the embrace with Maura to lift Lizzie off the floor, putting her on her hip and kissing her cheek. "You hungry already?"

Lizzie nodded. "But only for cake."

Jane laughed and felt Maura's hand on her lower back, her stomach still fluttering at the touch. "Of course." She nuzzled her nose into Lizzie's curls and kissed the side of her head. "How's your birthday so far?"

"Good." Lizzie grinned and wrapped her arm around Jane's neck. "I gots great presents."

"Hm, you did." Maura smiled a loving smile and wrapped her arm around Jane's waist to kiss Lizzie's cheek. "You're getting so big," she said softly, rubbing her daughter's stomach.

Lizzie straightened her back and grinned proudly. "'Cause I'm six!"

"Yes you are, big girl!" Maura chuckled and hugged her two loves.

Jane was about to comment on the mushiness of the whole thing before Tommy and TJ walked into the house from the backyard. "We gotta go home," he said, holding TJ's hand.

Jane turned around and smiled at the sight of her cute nephew. He had adorable light brown curls and his eyes were exactly like Tommy's. He was getting big as well. "Did you have fun, buddy?" Jane asked, putting Lizzie on the floor.

"Yah." TJ nodded and held on to his father's hand, clearly exhausting from playing and running around with Lizzie all day.

"Yeah, until we get home, then you'll be running around again."

"Oh, that sounds awfully familiar." Maura smiled and ruffled Lizzie's curls before she turned around to grab something to drink for the company in the backyard.

Jane let Tommy and TJ out and watched Lizzie running off outside to find someone else to play with. She chose Riley as a victim this time. Jane joined the company but somehow, she couldn't take her eyes off Maura.

She couldn't believe she was with this woman for six years already. Technically, they would be celebrating their three years marriage anniversary, but it was an anniversary for them together. Somehow, they both found their absolute soul mate and love of their lives and Jane couldn't be happier. Maura wasn't perfect, but she was perfect for her. She grounded her when she needed it, she put her at ease when she was uncomfortable, she held her down when she went too far and she loved her like she needed to be loved.

Jane sat down on the armchair of the garden seat and put her arm around Maura's shoulder, absentmindedly playing with her perfect curls as she listened to a story from Frankie. Maura leaned into the touch and briefly closed her eyes while Jane massaged the side of her head.

"So, big transition, huh?" Frankie said, leaning back in his chair to look at Riley and Lizzie who were chasing each other. "Leaving kindergarten? Starting first grade."

Jane sighed and traced Maura's earlobe with her thumb. "Yeah. She's excited for it though."

"I think she'll be very skilled at math and science," Maura said, pointing her finger into the air.

"How can you possibly know that?" Jane smirked, looking down at her wife.

"Yeah, she just turned six!" Frankie pitched in, smirking that same Rizzoli-smirk. "You have her solving math problems already?"

"No, but she's highly logical and sees connections."

Jane nodded. "Yeah, didn't you get the memo? Our children are geniuses!"

Frankie chuckled and turned his attention towards Riley. "You hear that Riley? Your ma says you're a genius!"

"Oh, leave them, Frankie," Angela said to him. She had been watching the girl with a loving smile on her face.

"Of course," Riley answered, "when you're the kid of the Chief Medical Examiner you gotta be a genius, right?"

"True that," Jane smirked and leaned down to kiss Maura's head, her hand not moving from her wife's shoulder.

"Don't forget yourself, Jane," Maura said softly, looking up at her wife, "you're highly intelligent and you have a great knowledge of human nature."

"See?" Riley said, sitting down next to Maura on the garden seat.

Maura laughed and kissed Riley's temple. "You're smart all on your own, honey. You don't need us for that."

"Riley!" Lizzie called, running back to her sister. "C'mon!"

"I'm tired, Liz…" Riley sighed.

"Oh." Lizzie dropped her shoulders and turned towards Angela. "You wanna play with me Gramma?"

"Grandma's got to go home, sweetie," Angela smiled and stood up from her chair. "And you need to go to bed."

Lizzie shook her head. "No, Mama said I could stay up late."

"It's already pretty late, baby." Jane smiled and stood up from her seat to say goodbye to her mother and Frankie, saying goodbye and thanking them multiple times for the sweet presents.

Riley and Lizzie continued to play one of the games Lizzie got for her birthday but after another hour, it really was time to go to bed. Lizzie was still bothered by the aftermath of the mono and easily tired, especially if she didn't get enough sleep.

Jane took the girl upstairs and took off her clothes to take her in for a shower. "Mama," Lizzie said, wiggling out of her underwear, "I wanna take Spiderman in the shower!"

"Spiderman?" Jane raised her eyebrows and pulled Lizzie's T-shirt over her head.

"Yeah!" Lizzie bounced at her amazing idea and as soon as the shirt was off her head, she took off downstairs.

"Lizzie! Come back here!" Jane hurried after the now naked girl, trying to catch up, but Lizzie was already down the stairs.

"Lizzie," Maura gasped at the sight of her little girl without clothes, "why are you running around the house in the nude?"

"I wanna have Spiderman!" She opened the box with toys and roamed through it, looking for her Spiderman action figure.

"Lizzie, it is not appropriate to walk around the house naked." Maura walked over to Lizzie and grabbed the toy for her before hooking her arms under Lizzie's, lifting her off the floor and handing her to Jane.

"But I just wanna have Spiderman…" Lizzie pouted while Jane placed her on her hip.

"I know, honey. But put on clothes next time, okay?"

"She's six, Maur," Jane whispered, smirking.

"I know." Maura shook her head and tickled Lizzie's bare belly. "You're a big girl. And big girls wear clothes."

Lizzie nodded and seemed to like the compliment of being called a big girl. Jane chuckled and took her back upstairs where she turned on the shower and adjusted it to a comfortable temperature. Lizzie stepped under it and rinsed her Spiderman toy, pretending to be flying through the air.

"Mama?" she asked, moving the toy back and forth under the stream of water while Jane grabbed a bottle of shampoo.

"Hm?" she turned Lizzie around so she could massage the shampoo into her curls, knowing that Lizzie usually did a very poor job herself.

"Is my old mommy and daddy having a party for my birthday too?"

The question startled Jane and for a moment, she wasn't sure what to answer. She slowed down her movements in Lizzie's hair and sighed. "Yeah, baby. I think they are."

"Is they gonna have cake?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"I think so." Lizzie nodded, smiling when some of the foam from her head landed on Spiderman. "Daddy loooooves cake."

"He does?" Jane felt tears burning in her eyes, happy to know that Lizzie couldn't see her.

"Yah. He likes uhm…" Lizzie hesitated and Jane saw her hands dropping by her side. "He likes the…" She turned around and looked at Jane with wide eyes, her adorable face surrounded by wet curls and foam. "I don't remember…" she whispered, her eyes wide in horror.

"Oh, baby…" Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and kneeled in front of the girl to caress Lizzie's cheek, leaving a trail of foam.

"I don't remember!" she said, a little louder this time while her bottom lip quivered.

"It's okay, honey."

Lizzie shook her head as tears spilled on her cheeks. Jane kissed her daughter's wet forehead. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," she whispered.

Lizzie kept crying as Jane rinsed her hair. "Put your head back so it doesn't get in your eyes," she whispered, gently taking the showerhead to rinse the shampoo. She left the conditioner for now. She washed the girl's body and turned off the shower before taking big towel, wrapping Lizzie in the towel and her arms.

"I don't remember, Mama," Lizzie whimpered, hiding her face into the crook of Jane's neck. Jane rubbed Lizzie's back and kissed her wet curls. She had no idea what to say. Lizzie was starting to forget. It was a natural process and kids forget easily, but this hurt Lizzie immensely. After months of holding on to her parents, she finally accepted that they were dead and now she started to forget.

Jane sighed deeply and lifted Lizzie in her arms while she walked downstairs, meeting Maura in the kitchen.

"Hey," Maura greeted them softly, walking towards Jane when she saw the concern in her eyes. "What's the matter?"

"She's starting to forget," Jane whispered as tears burned in her eyes. "How do we help her?"

Maura immediately understood what Jane meant. She didn't need to explain the details of their conversation in the shower. "We can't. It's natural."

Jane swallowed and nodded, resting her cheek against Lizzie's wet curls as the girl just kept on crying. "Honey," Maura whispered, "it's okay."

Lizzie shook her head against Jane's neck. "I don't know the cake Daddy loves," she said through her tears.

"I know, my love." Maura wrapped her arm around Jane's waist and moved so she could look at Lizzie. "But there are so many other things you remember about him, aren't here?"

Lizzie turned her head on Jane's shoulder to look at her mother. She nodded.

"Can you tell us what you remember?" Maura asked sweetly, tucking a still wet curl behind Lizzie's ear.

"When it was my birthday, Daddy got Stevie for me." Lizzie played with Jane's curls and stared into the distance. "He pretends Stevie can talk and he maked jokes but I know Stevie can't talk." Lizzie giggled sadly and seemed lost in her story for a moment. "Mommy says he's silly 'cause he maked always jokes."

Jane smiled a sad smile and rubbed Lizzie's back, pulling her close in the white towel while Lizzie continued. "Mommy went to the park with me 'cause they had the swings and one time I went on the swings with Daddy but he wanna push so hard I got scared. And then we were gonna eat sandwiches and I wanna eat them on the swings but Daddy said the sandwich's gonna get stuck in my throat so we were gonna eat on the blanket."

"That sounds like fun," Maura whispered as Lizzie fell silent.

Lizzie nodded. "I was gonna lie in Mommy's lap and the swings made me tired and I sleeped in the park." She giggled slightly and wrapped her legs around Jane's waist, pushing them out of the large towel as she did. "Then Daddy said when I can't sleep, we gotta go to the park 'cause I sleeped there from the swings."

" _Slept_ , honey." Maura just couldn't help herself and smiled apologetically, shaking her head when Jane glared at her. Her words pulled Lizzie out of her memories and she looked up at Maura.

"See, baby?" Jane said softly, making soothing circular strokes on Lizzie's back. "You remember lots of stuff."

Lizzie nodded and Jane felt her calming down. "It's okay to forget little things sometimes. There are so many memories left," Maura whispered, wiping Lizzie's tears with the back of her hand. "Maybe some of them get lost in time, but there will always be memories left."

"And hey, we can go to the swings too, if you want." Jane smiled but her smile fell when Lizzie shook her head.

"I only went to the swings with Daddy."

Jane sighed and understood that this was something between Lizzie and her father. She wouldn't let anyone else take it, and even though it stung a little, Jane understood. She felt Lizzie nuzzling against her and sensed her exhaustion. "C'mon, sweetie. Time for bed."

Maura kissed Lizzie's cheek a few times and smiled at the little girl. "Sleep well, my love." She kissed her forehead, nose, cheek and brow and rubbed her back. "I love you."

Lizzie wrinkled her nose and hid her face into Jane's neck. "Love you too."

Jane chuckled and pressed her lips against her wife's in a quick kiss that spoke of love and gratefulness. "I love you," she whispered.

Maura smiled and caressed Jane's cheek. "I love you too."

Jane reluctantly pulled away from Maura and walked upstairs, still holding Lizzie in her arms, happy to feel she stopped crying. She walked into Lizzie's bedroom and put her on the floor before she used the towel that was wrapped around the little girl to dry her hair. "Look at that," Jane said, pointing at her own T-shirt, "you made me all wet."

Lizzie chuckled. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's forehead before walking towards her closet where she pulled out a pair of clean underwear. "You wanna wear the big green pajamas? Or the striped ones?"

"Hmm…" Lizzie thought about that and walked towards her mother, grabbing the underwear she offered her. "The big shirt." 

Jane pulled out the shirt and pulled it over Lizzie's head. It reached her knees and she looked absolutely adorable as she jumped to pull up her underwear. She pulled away the covers on the bed and sat on the edge while Lizzie climbed on, holding Stevie in her left hand. "I'm gonna dream about the swings tonight," she said while she laid down on her back."

"I bet you'll have a great night sleep then," Jane answered with a loving smile. She rubbed Lizzie's belly for a moment before leaning forward to press her lips against the girl's forehead. "I love you, baby. Goodnight."

"'Night Mama. Love you too."

Jane tore herself away from her daughter and turned off the lights, leaving the bedroom door slightly open. She walked downstairs and met Riley on the stairs. "Hey baby," she softly greeted her, "you're going to bed already?"

"Facetime." Riley smiled and blushed a little, eliciting a sweet chuckle from her mother.

"Say hi to Alex from me." Jane smiled and wrapped one arm around Riley shoulders, kissing her forehead. "And keep it down, please. I just put Lizzie to bed."

"Sure." Riley kissed Jane's cheek and passed her to walk upstairs. "Love you."

"I love you too, baby." Jane smiled to herself and felt a sense of bliss overwhelming her while she made her way downstairs to the love of her life. She couldn't believe the love she felt for her little family. Somehow, it seemed to grow everyday. Every night she put Lizzie to bed, every time she told Riley she loved her, every kiss she shared with her wife made her love grow.

Maura smiled at her wife and tilted her head, looking up at Jane from the couch. "You look happy," she said softly, tugging Jane's hand to guide her to sit next to her. "It's beautiful."

Jane nodded and kissed Maura's lips. "You make me happy."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"I'll miss you, sweetheart," Maura said softly while she hugged her oldest daughter into her arms, ready to leave for their anniversary celebration. "Look out for your sister, okay?"

Maura pulled back and brushed Riley's smooth hair back, looking into her blue eyes. "Make sure she's going to sleep on time, and you know that when she's upset, it helps to rub her belly or take her downstairs for something to drink, although she can't have soda or anything with sugar. Milk, water-…"

"I know." Riley rolled her eyes and sighed. "Lizzie is not a baby, she's six actually, and Grandma will be here the whole time."

Maura sighed. "I know, I just…"

"Mom," Riley smiled and threw her arms around Maura's neck, giving her a squeezing hug. "We'll be fine."

Maura chuckled and pulled Riley impossibly closer. "I love you, sweet girl. We have our phones with us, just call if you need us, okay?"

Riley nodded. "Okay."

"I mean it. Call us when you need to." Maura smiled and took Riley's chin in her hand, looking into her eyes. "Promise?"

Riley gave her mother a reassuring smile. "Promise."

"Have fun with Grandma, I love you."

"I love you too." Riley smiled and kissed Maura's cheek before she turned to say goodbye to Jane, who just put Lizzie back down on the floor. She immediately sped off towards Maura.

Maura kneeled and scooped the girl up in her arms. "Hmm, hey baby," Maura whispered.

"I don't want you to go, Mommy," Lizzie said softly, wrapping her small arms around Maura's neck.

Maura swallowed a lump in her throat and felt almost tempted to call off the trip right there. But she needed this. She needed some time with Jane, some time together. To talk, to make love, to just be quiet… They needed this trip. "Oh, you're going to have so much fun, sweetheart."

Lizzie didn't reply and kept her hold on Maura's neck. After a few minutes, Maura reluctantly untangled herself, knowing it would only get harder if she held on longer. "It's just four days, love." Maura smiled and brushed Lizzie's curls back. "We'll be back before you know it."

Lizzie nodded and pecked Maura's cheek, eliciting a sweet smile. Maura kissed Lizzie's forehead and stood up, facing Angela who was watching them with a loving smile. "Riley needs to be told to go to bed on time, and you need to check on her otherwise she'll be texting all night long. Lizzie likes to pick her own pajamas, and she needs Stevie to sleep. When Riley's upset at night, it's most likely because of a nightmare. She probably won't talk about it, but I informed her that we have our phones on us and she can call anytime."

"Okay." Angela smiled warmly and put her hands on Maura's upper arms. "It's going to be fine, sweetheart. Believe it or not, this is not my first time taking care of children."

"I know, but-…"

"And it's also not my first time taking care of _your_ children."

Maura sighed and smiled. "Of course. I'm sorry."

"Oh, I understand." Angela waved her argument away. "I've never been good at leaving my kids either."

Maura looked at Riley who just broke an embrace with Jane while Lizzie tugged on the hem of her shirt. She smiled lovingly and took a deep breath, not knowing why she was so reluctant to leave her children. It would probably be better once they were in the car. It was just the saying goodbye that bothered her.

She walked up behind Riley and kissed the back of her head, smoothing her straight brown hair. "Time to go."

Riley nodded and kissed Maura's cheek before Maura kneeled to cover Lizzie's face in kisses. "Bye, my babies," she said with a sweet smile, pulling Lizzie close a last time.

"C'mon, Maur," Jane urged her as she kept hugging Lizzie.

Maura nodded and pecked Lizzie's cheek before she stood back up. "Be nice to Grandma!"

Lizzie chuckled and walked over to Angela, taking her grandmother's hand. "Bye, mommies!"

"Bye, my loves." Maura smiled and blew a kiss to Riley before following Jane to the car.

Jane got behind the wheel and Maura lowered the window to wave at the girls until they drove around a corner. She sighed and relaxed in her seat, pulling the window back up.

"They're gonna be fine, Maur," Jane said in her husky voice, squeezing Maura's thigh for a moment.

Maura nodded and turned her head to look at the brunette in the driver's seat. She looked tired, but gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Yes, Maura would miss the kids, but she couldn't wait to spend a few days with her wife. "I know."

The drive didn't take long and there wasn't much traffic so they arrived at their destination in a few hours. They rented a secluded part of a beautiful resort with everything they could possibly need and more.

"This is gorgeous, Maura," Jane said as she walked into the bedroom, marveling at the comfortable king-sized bed. The place was actually just one room, but a screen and a white curtain divided the bedroom area from the rest. It was beautiful.

Maura smiled and dropped her purse on a chair before walking up behind Jane, spinning her around and gently pushing her down on the bed. Jane smirked and pulled Maura on top of her, crashing their lips together in a heated and loving kiss. Maura smiled into the kiss, the sadness of leaving her children forgotten for this wonderful moment. She graced Jane's lips with her tongue and was granted access quickly, her tongue exploring the familiar territory of her wife's mouth.

Jane's hand wandered down Maura's back along her sides, back up to her shoulders and down to her behind, squeezing softly. Maura pulled away, her lungs screaming for air. She smiled down at her wife and brushed Jane's messy curls back. "You're gorgeous," she whispered against Jane's lips. "I can't wait to make love to you for the next four days." 

Jane smirked and took the hem of Maura's shirt, gently pulling it over her head. "We do have other plans, Maur."

"Oh yes," Maura smiled and tossed her shirt aside, sitting up to take Jane's off as well, "I've always wanted to try skin dipping."

" _Skinny_ dipping, Maur." Jane chuckled and brought Maura back down on top of her. "I mean… plans to visit museums and stuff."

Maura pulled back and looked at her wife, raising her eyebrows. "Museums?"

Jane shrugged. "Yeah."

"You planned on visit a museum?"

"Y'know, there's an art museum not too far from here and I thought… You love that stuff so I made a reservation for tomorrow."

"Jane…" Maura smiled a sweet smile and traced Jane's jaw with her fingers. "You don't like art."

"No, but I like you."

Maura smiled and blinked her eyes to get rid of the tears that welled up in them. She lowered herself back down and captured Jane's lips in another kiss. Jane would spend days doing all the things she hated, just to make Maura happy. A feeling of bliss and love overwhelmed Maura. She had no idea how she got this lucky.

When they broke apart, Jane had turned them around so she was straddling Maura, gently unclasping her bra on her back. Maura smiled and pulled her bra away before doing the same with Jane's. "I want to do things you love as well, Jane."

"I love you." Jane shrugged and raked her fingers along Maura's bare sides, eliciting goosebumps.

Maura chuckled and kissed her wife's lips, moaning as their breasts pushed together. "Could you stop being so mushy for a second?" she laughed. "I mean, I want to do things we both enjoy. I love you for taking me to museums and I'm looking forward to visiting tomorrow, but I want to do things you like as well."

"So… baseball and beer?" Jane smirked.

"Exactly." Maura laughed and wrapped her arms around Jane's upper body, pulling her closer. "Or maybe a good movie."

Jane chuckled and kissed the corner of Maura's mouth, leaving her wanting more. "Of course. Would you like to change the beer into wine as well?"

Maura shook her head. "I'll have beer."

Jane hummed in disbelief and started working on the zipper of Maura's skirt, pressing her lips back to her wife's.

Five hours later, the couple had seen every corner of the bedroom, the Jacuzzi on the terrace and certain parts of the living room. Maura couldn't even remember how many orgasms she experienced but she felt satisfied in every inch of her body. They were relaxing on the cabana bed outside, bodies intertwined as they watched the sun slowly setting, a cool nightly breeze caressing their naked, sweaty bodies.

Maura shivered into Jane's side and Jane pulled a light blanket over them. "We should get something to eat," she whispered in her husky voice.

Maura hummed. "I'm so tired, though."

Jane chuckled and kissed Maura's forehead. "Wore you out, didn't I?"

Maura snuggled closer into her side. "You certainly did, detective."

They stayed silent for a while, loving to just be in each other's arms, until the buzzing of Jane's phone interrupted their moment. Jane untangled one arm from around Maura and grabbed her phone. She sighed and showed Maura the text.

 **Riley: Ma, can we Facetime? Lizzie's upset.**

Maura was immediately alarmed. She untangled herself from Jane and hurried inside, not even bothering to put on clothes in the process. There was no one around for miles, probably. She quickly threw on a summer dress and grabbed her iPad, along with a shirt and panties for Jane.

She threw them to Jane and sat down next to her, starting her iPad, finding the Factime app. She opened it and connected to Riley's phone, feeling Jane's hand comfortingly around her waist, her chin on her shoulder.

"They're okay, Maura," Jane whispered while the iPad tried to find a steady internet connection.

"Riley says she's upset." Maura felt worry burning in her stomach and took a deep, shaking breath.

Jane was about to answer but stopped when Riley's face popped up on the screen. "Hey, baby!" Maura greeted her, managing a sweet smile.

"Hi," Riley's voice sounded soft and crooked through the poor connection, but the image was quite clear. "Liz!" she called, looking to her side.

Lizzie immediately came into view, her face close to the camera. Maura saw tears on her cheeks, her eyes red, her bottom lip quivering. "Mommy," she whimpered. "Where's Mama?"

"I'm right here, baby." Jane smiled and waved when Maura moved the iPad to show them both. "What's the matter?"

"I miss you!" Lizzie cried and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Grandma's been trying to get her to bed for hours now," Riley said, pulling Lizzie into her lap so they could both look at her phone, "she just keeps coming out."

"Why's that, baby?" Maura asked, wanting nothing more than to wrap the little girl up in her arms. "You can't sleep?"

Lizzie shook her head, still crying. "I want you and Mama!"

"I'm sorry, baby," Jane said softly, her hand stroking Maura's back.

"We're here, honey," Maura said, smiling at her iPad. "You want to talk?"

Lizzie shook her head and Maura felt a tear trickling down her cheek when Lizzie's little fingers touched the screen of Riley's phone, trying to touch her mommies. "Why'd you go away?" she asked softly, her voice laced with tears.

"We're celebrating our anniversary, baby," Jane answered, hearing how Maura's throat closed up in tears. "Remember when I explained that? Mommy and I have been married for exactly three years tomorrow and we're gonna celebrate that."

"But you leaved!" Lizzie cried, almost sounding angry.

"We didn't leave you, honey." Maura swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to be strong for the little girl. Lizzie thought they left her. Because that's what happened with the people she loved. They died. They left. "We'll be back in a few days!"

"Yeah, that's only three more sleeps," Jane pitched in, smiling at the screen when she saw Riley kissing Lizzie's temple.

"See?" Riley said, looking at her little sister, "it's only a few days."

Lizzie nodded but didn't seem convinced. "I wanna be with you, Mama," she said softly, barely audible through the bad connection that was getting worse by the second.

"I'm sorry honey, you can't." Jane's voice was soft and sweet, but determined, startling Maura a little. "Where's Grandma?"

Lizzie looked to the side and the women heard Angela's voice calling out, "I'm here!" She came into frame, leaning over Lizzie as she ruffled her curls. "I suggested she chatted with you for a while, to make sure she knows you'll be back soon."

"We will," Maura said, not able to keep her eyes off her crying daughter.

"But what about the monsters, Mommy?" Lizzie asked with a light sob.

"Listen," Jane said, moving closer, "just ask Grandma to get you something to drink, take you to bed, maybe even rub your belly to make the monsters go away. Remember how that helped last time?"

Lizzie nodded and wiped her cheeks.

"You're gonna be fine, honey." Jane smiled at her daughter on the screen. "Grandma's really good at chasing the monsters."

"But I want you to chase them, Mama," Lizzie said softly, her voice vulnerable and pained.

"I can't," Jane said, determined and strict. "I love you a whole lot and I'll be there to chase the monsters in a few days, but now you have to let Grandma chase them, okay?"

"Jane…" Maura whispered, startled by Jane's strict tone.

"She's got to be comfortable without us, Maura," Jane whispered back before turning her attention back to the iPad.

"Can you do that, Lizzie?" Jane asked.

Lizzie sniffled and nodded.

"Okay. I love you, baby."

Maura swallowed her tears and smiled. "Mommy loves you too, honey. I love you so much, my baby girl."

Lizzie's little fingers blocked the view as she tried to create impossible physical connection, leaving Maura in a mess of tears as they said goodbye.

"Love you too, Mommies," Lizzie said softly.

"Bye, sweetie." Jane smiled and her finger hovered over the red horn. "Bye, Ma!"

"By girls!" Angela's voice called from off screen. "Don't worry, okay? We'll be fine. Won't we, Lizzie?"

Lizzie nodded and Jane smiled. "Bye, Riley! Love you too!"

"Love you," Riley smiled and the screen went black.

Maura whimpered and stood up from the bed, walking inside where she frantically started to put her stuff into their suitcase.

"Maura!" Jane called after her, raising her eyebrows when she entered the bedroom. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Maura asked, not looking at her wife while she folded her skirt and put it in the suitcase. "I'm packing."

"Yeah, I can see that. Why?"

Maura stopped her movements and looked at Jane. "To go home!"

"Again, why?"

"Didn't you hear Lizzie?" she asked, her voice angry and laced with tears that just wouldn't stop falling down her cheeks.

"Yeah, she sounded like a six-year old that wants her mommies to sleep." Jane stepped closer and looked into Maura's eyes. "But she has to learn to be without us, Maura. She needs to be able to go to sleep without her mommies."

"She's six, Jane!" Maura cried out.

"Yeah! Old enough to spend a few nights with her sister and grandmother." Jane placed her hands on Maura's upper arms, trying to calm her down. "She's just a little homesick. She'll be fine once she gets some sleep."

"Exactly, she's homesick for us!" Maura wiped her cheeks but it didn't stop the tears from streaming down. "We're her home and she needs us!"

"Maura." Jane stopped her wife from going back to packing and strengthened her grip on Maura's upper arms. "She has to learn that we're not leaving her when we go away for a few days. She's got to learn this."

"She's in pain, Jane," Maura whispered, her defense slowly dissolving.

"Yes, and she'll learn from that. If we go home right now, she'll never learn. She'll be having trouble at sleepovers, camp, trips and who knows what else for the rest of her life." Jane wiped Maura's cheek with the back of her hand and smiled. "I hate it too, babe. But she has to learn that she's okay with other people as well. She has to know that she can trust them."

"But we have to chase the monsters," Maura said softly through her tears, looking into Jane's eyes.

Jane smiled a sad smile and dropped her hands to her side. "Believe me, if I went with what I'm feeling, I'd be in the car ten minutes ago. But she has to go through this. Tomorrow she's forgotten all about it."

"I'm not so sure, Jane," Maura whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "She has this great fear of abandonment and we triggered that by leaving."

"If we go back, she won't get over that fear." Jane sat down next to her wife and placed her hand on Maura's knee. "Y'know, when we were little, Frankie got homesick too."

"He did?" Maura looked at Jane, relishing in her deep brown eyes that spoke love and devotion.

"Yeah. We'd go to sleepovers at our cousins and he wanted to go home as soon as we were in bed for over ten minutes. But Ma never allowed him too."

"What did he do?"

Jane shrugged. "He cried for an hour. Fell asleep. Forgot all about it the next morning and had the time of his life." She smiled at Maura and squeezed her leg. "He got over it after a few years."

"But Lizzie's traumatized, Jane," Maura whispered, fresh tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah, and if we give in to her every time, she'll be homesick for the rest of her life." Jane took a deep breath and wiped her wife's tears again, keeping her hand on Maura's cheek. "Maura, I want nothing more than to have our girls in our arms and I want nothing more than to chase those damn monsters, but we gotta do what's good for her."

Maura sighed and closed her eyes. She knew Jane was right. Lizzie would fall asleep soon, exhausted from her activities with Angela. She would fall asleep and wake up tomorrow, welcoming a new day. She couldn't go back to her children every time they got sad. They had to learn.

"I know it's hard," Jane whispered, stroking Maura's cheek.

Maura nodded and leaned forward to hide her face into Jane's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why?" Jane chuckled and pulled Maura close.

"For getting upset." Maura smiled and pulled back to look at Jane. "You're right."

Jane nodded. "I'm not happy to be right."

"Well, that's a first." Maura smirked and kissed Jane's lips.

Jane chuckled and brushed Maura's hair back, a loving gesture that made her stomach tingle. "I love you. You're a great mom."

Maura shook her head and smiled. "Not as great as you are."

"That's not true. You're different but just as great. There's a reason those kids are always cuddling you to death."

Maura laughed and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck. "I love you."

Jane hugged her back and pulled her as close as humanly possible. "I love you a lot but we had sex all afternoon and even though that involved eating out, I technically haven't eaten any food yet so I'm pretty sure I'll die if we don't eat now."

Maura laughed and kissed her wife's neck. "I highly doubt that, Jane. That would take up to 8 or 12 weeks, less if you don't drink."

"Right, so let's not let it come to that." Jane chuckled and pulled back to kiss her wife's lips. "Food."

Maura smiled and allowed Jane to pull her up from the bed. "Food."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N Sorry for the delay in uploading! I'll try my best to keep up the frequent uploads, but life's a little crazy right now._

 _This chapter is basically all fluff and sweetness, I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think, reviews make me happy!_

 **Chapter 14**

"Jane, where did all my underwear go?" Maura asked while she searched through her suitcase.

Jane smirked and turned her head, looking at her wife from the bed. "I like you without underwear."

Maura sighed and shook her head. "Well, I need it because we have to leave in less than an hour!"

"Where did you have it the last time?"

Maura pursed her lips and stood up, looking through the room. "The last place we had sex… The bathroom." She hurried towards the bathroom and came back with a pair of black lace panties.

"See?" Jane smirked and stood up to wrap her arms around Maura's waist from behind, placing a sweet kiss on her neck. "That's how you know you had a great weekend."

"What?" Maura hummed and leaned back into Jane's front.

"If all your underwear is gone by the end of it," Jane smirked and kissed her wife's shoulder, pushing the sleeve of her T-shirt up to feel her skin. "That means you did good."

"Did _well_."

"Right." Jane smiled and spun Maura around to face her. "I really did have a great time. And not just because of the sex. Although that did add to the pleasure."

Maura chuckled and kissed the corner of Jane's mouth. "I had a wonderful time too. I can't wait to go back to the girls, but I love being with just you." She smiled and placed her hands on Jane's neck, massaging softly. "I love just _being_ , you know? Just… holding you, looking at you, sitting next to you…"

"Maura…" Jane pressed her lips against her wife's in a soft and light kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Maura continued the kiss as her arms wrapped around the brunette's waist, kissing gently and passionately for several minutes until it really was time to continue packing.

"Y'know I really want to see the girls but I kind of want to stay too…" Jane said, reluctantly breaking the kiss as her hands caressed Maura's chest.

"I know," Maura whispered, looking deeply into Jane's eyes. "It feels a little like we're on our honeymoon again, doesn't it?"

Jane nodded. "Like I just fell in love with you all over again."

Maura smiled a sweet smile and tightened her grip around Jane's waist. "I fall in love with you every day over and over again."

Her words encouraged another kiss that lasted even longer than the last one, and felt even more perfect than the last. Every kiss with Maura was perfect. They broke apart with a deep sigh in disappointment and continued packing, sharing the occasional quick kiss and loving touch until they had to get going. They promised to be home before bedtime.

The drive home was quick and silent, both women eager to get home now that their little vacation was really over. They called the girls one more time after the Facetime incident, and Lizzie was a little upset but according to Angela, she forgot all about it the next morning. Jane truly had the time of her life. Maura dragged her through the museum with her adorable enthusiasm and fun facts, but Jane didn't pay any attention to the art. She only had eye for the piece of art that was her wife. They swam in the pool, with and without bathing suits, they enjoyed the late summer air, Jane reluctantly agreed to a shopping trip and Maura had kept her promise about a movie and beer. They didn't even see half of the movie, though. But Jane had fallen in love with the doctor all over again and she knew they had charged up their energy for a while now.

"Mamaaaaaaa!" Lizzie ran towards her mothers who stepped out of the car, immediately attacking Jane's legs, almost knocking her over.

"Hey, peanut." Jane smiled and lifted Lizzie off the ground, hugging her tight. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Mama." Lizzie tightened her little arms around Jane's neck before squirming herself free and taking off to Maura who was watching them with a loving smile. "You too, Mommy!" She reached up her arms and Maura picked her up as well, hugging her the same way Jane did.

"Oh, I missed you, my love," Maura said softly, smiling at Jane over Lizzie's shoulder.

Jane smiled a bright smile. She loved to witness how Lizzie always hugged Maura. With Jane, she liked to roughhouse, tickle and snuggle into her lap. But Maura was the cuddle-mom of the family. Lizzie's short legs were wrapped around Maura's waist, her skinny arms tightly around her neck, her face hidden in Maura's perfect curls.

Suddenly Riley's arms wrapped around Jane's neck and Jane pulled herself away from the sight of Maura and Lizzie to hug her oldest daughter. "Hey, baby," Jane said softly, rubbing Riley's back. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Riley whispered, tightening her grip.

Jane pulled back and brushed Riley's hair back, looking into bright blue eyes. "You okay?"

Riley nodded. "Just happy you're back."

Jane smiled and pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead before pulling her back into a tight hug. She looked over Riley's head to see Maura telling Lizzie quiet words of love, her eyes filled with unconditional motherly love. "I love you, honey," Jane said softly, kissing the top of Riley's head that rested on her chest.

"I love you too," Riley answered softly, tightening her arms around Jane's waist.

Something was off with her. She was unusually quiet. "Did you have any nightmares while we were gone?" Jane asked carefully, not breaking the embrace.

Riley nodded against her mother's chest and Jane heard her swallowing hard. "Yeah."

"How bad?"

Riley shrugged. "Bad. Just the last night."

Jane sighed, knowing how upsetting a bad nightmare could be. "I'm sorry, baby."

They kept the embrace for several minutes before walking inside, meeting Angela in the kitchen. Lizzie wiggled out of Maura's arms and reached up her arms to Jane, shifting mothers as Jane hugged her to her front while stepping towards her mother.

"Hey, Ma," she said softly, leaning forward to kiss her mother's cheek. "How'd it go?"

Angela sighed and smiled while she rubbed Lizzie's back. "This one had a hard time at first. She wet her bed the first night after she woke up from a bad dream."

"Bedwetting?" Maura asked, her arm wrapped around Riley's shoulders as the girl leaned into her mother's side. "She's never done that before…"

"Not since she's been with us, no," Jane answered, feeling Lizzie's head resting on her shoulder.

"She was just upset," Angela waved their words away. "She was perfectly fine the rest of the time."

"Although I did have to chase monsters the second night," Riley added, still snuggled into Maura's side. Those two were inseparable and that would never change. "But we chased them good, didn't we Liz?"

Lizzie nodded, not moving her head from Jane's shoulder. "You did?" Jane asked, turning her head to look at her youngest daughter. "Better than me?"

"No," Lizzie giggled and snuggled closer into her mother. "Nobody chases the monsters better than you 'cause you're the police."

Jane smiled at the sweet compliment and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "I love you, little girl," Jane whispered, nuzzling her nose into Lizzie's messy curls.

They thanked Angela multiple times and handed her the gift they bought for her on their shopping trip before saying goodbye to her. When Angela was gone, Maura closed the door and sighed a content sigh. "Your mother is truly great with them," she said softly, caressing one of Lizzie's legs that was wrapped around Jane's waist.

Jane smiled and nodded. "She is." She walked towards the couch and sat down, taking Lizzie in her lap, facing the little girl. "So," she said, brushing Lizzie's hair back, "what kind of fun things did you do with Grandma?"

Lizzie hummed and wiggled in Jane's lap. "Lots of things!"

Jane smiled and watched Maura sitting down in the big armchair, gently tugging Riley's arm as she passed her, pulling the girl down in her lap while she kissed Riley's temple.

"We baked the chickens in the oven," Lizzie counted on her little fingers, "we played in the park, Grandma was gonna watch movies with Riley but the movies was boring so I played… And Grandma reads lots of stories!"

"She did, huh?" Jane asked, caressing Lizzie's cheek.

Lizzie nodded. "She reads _two_ stories for bedtime."

Jane chuckled and looked at Maura who laughed softly while she rubbed Riley's back. "Don't count on us reading two stories as well, Liz," Jane smirked.

Lizzie sighed a disappointed sigh and leaned forward into Jane's arms, resting her head against her mother's chest. She put her chin on top of Lizzie's head and looked over at Maura and Riley. Riley looked tired, but relaxed in her mother's arms.

Maura and Riley had the same special connection Jane and Lizzie shared. It wasn't that she loved either of them any less, but whenever the girls were upset or in need of affection, Riley would come to Maura and Lizzie would come to Jane. That used to be hard for the detective, but she knew both her daughters loved her to no end and this is what they needed. It's just the way it was. And the way it was turned out to be pretty perfect.

"You want to talk about it?" Maura asked Riley, looking at the girl's head on her shoulder.

Riley shook her head. "Just wanna forget about it."

"Okay." Maura smiled and kissed the top of Riley's head.

They stayed silent for a while, content in the feeling of being together again after a few days of missing the girls. After a few minutes, Jane sighed and broke the silence. "Hey, I have an idea."

"Hm?" Maura lifted her head from Riley's and looked at her wife.

"We're both off this Saturday, right?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"How about we go swimming?" Jane offered, looking at the little girl in her lap. "There's a pretty big indoor pool not too far from here that's supposed to be gorgeous and we've never been there."

Lizzie nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah!"

"That sounds like fun." Maura smiled. "Riley?"

"Sure." Riley nodded but Jane knew she was insecure about any activity that involved her taking her shirt off. The scars on her back would never stop making her ache.

Jane nodded, not bringing up the sensitive subject and feed her daughter's insecurities. "We can make good use of our free Saturdays as long as you don't have soccer games."

Riley chuckled and untangled herself from Maura after a kiss on her head. "I can't wait to go back, though. We ended third last year, we're totally gonna make first place in the tournament this year."

"Of course you are." Maura smiled and brushed Riley's hair back before the girl stood up, heading towards the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Liz, you want some juice?"

"Yeah. But only apple." Lizzie looked at her sister over Jane's shoulder, resting her chin on it as Jane kept rubbing the girl's back.

Riley nodded and grabbed the box of apple juice out of the fridge. "Hey, you gotta show Mom and Ma the picture you drew, Liz!"

"Oh, yeah!" Lizzie squirmed out of Jane's lap and took off towards a closet in the hallway.

Maura smiled and stood up from her chair to sit next to her wife, placing a sweet kiss on Jane's cheek. "I'm happy to be home," she whispered, smiling lovingly as she looked at Lizzie who ran back to them with a piece of paper in her hand.

"Me too." Jane kissed Maura's temple before pulling Lizzie back into her lap, waiting for her to show them her picture.

Lizzie turned the page around and grinned proudly. Maura's arm wrapped around Jane's waist and her chin rested on the brunette's shoulder as she smiled at the lovely picture. Lizzie drew four stick figures. One large one with black curls and jeans, one smaller one with blonde curls and a dress, another small one with straight, brown hair and a soccer ball, and a tiny one with blonde curls and something that was probably Lizzie's Spiderman toy. Above it, in crooked letters, the girl wrote 'I love mommies'. On the bottom of the picture, she wrote 'and Riley too'.

Jane chuckled and felt tears burning in her eyes at the innocent but heartfelt message. She kissed the top of Lizzie's head.

"Grandma made the letters for me and I did them copy all by myself," Lizzie said, beaming with pride as she traced the letters with her small fingers.

"It's a beautiful drawing, love," Maura said softly, stroking Lizzie's cheek as she smiled through her tears. "Absolutely beautiful."

Lizzie smiled a proud smile and leaned back into Jane's front, still holding the drawing up. Jane swallowed her tears and pulled her daughter close. "It's amazing."

"I wanna make it 'cause I loves you and Mommy and you're the best mommies." Lizzie turned her head and looked into Jane's eyes with such honesty and innocence, it was impossible for the detective to keep her tears at bay.

"We love you too, sweetheart," Maura said, wiping her tears before she kissed Lizzie's head.

Lizzie smiled but her smile fell when she looked at Maura. "Why's you crying, Mommy?"

Maura laughed through her tears and pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead. "Because I love you so much, honey."

Lizzie shook her head and furrowed her brow. "But that's happy, Mommy. Not crying."

Jane smiled and wiped Maura's tears with her thumb while she pulled Lizzie close. "Sometimes Mommy gets really happy and then she has to cry."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it's pretty adorable," Jane said, looking at her wife with a loving smile. She leaned in and captured the blonde's lips in a quick kiss.

"Stop crying, Mommies!" Lizzie said, turning around to sit on her knees in Jane's lap, having noticed Jane's teary eyes as well. She reached over and her small hands wiped Maura's cheeks, an adorable gesture that only made her cry harder.

Maura smiled through her tears and wrapped her arms around the little girl, pulling her as close as humanly possible. "I love you, my baby. I love you so much."

Lizzie just seemed confused by the whole situation and accepted the hug. "Love you too Mommy."

"You done with the mushiness?" Riley asked, walking into the living room with two glasses filled with juice. She smirked and Jane saw she was touched by the lovely moment.

"No," Maura teased, looking over Lizzie's shoulder at Riley. "I'm going to hug you girls all night."

Riley rolled her eyes but smiled as she took a sip of her juice and handed Lizzie hers as the girl turned around to sit in Maura's lap, leaning into her front. "What do you say, Lizzie?" Maura asked, always strict about the girls' manners.

"Thanks, Riley." Lizzie grinned and put the glass to her mouth, eagerly drinking the liquid.

"Welcome." Riley sat down next to Jane and leaned into her side.

Jane smiled and they stayed silent for a few minutes while the girls drank their juice. When Lizzie finished it, she put the glass on the coffee table and snuggled back into Maura's lap. Maura chuckled and kissed Lizzie's head. "Time for bed, my love."

"No," Lizzie whined, turning her head to look at her mother. "I wanna stay."

"No, no. It's already way too late for you, little girl. You have school on Monday, so you have to be well-rested."

Lizzie sighed and knew it wasn't much use to put up a fight, so Maura lifted her off her lap and put her in Jane's open arms. "Good night, baby," Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's cheek.

"Night, Mama."

Maura took Lizzie upstairs and Jane caught up with Riley about the past few days. She was absolutely crazy about Alex and told Jane about all the conversations they had the past few days. Jane loved the way Riley's eyes sparkled when she talked about him and she loved how she truly felt special when talking to Alex. He was a good kid. He made Riley feel loved and treasured, like she deserved. He had good manners and even though Jane didn't like the fact that he was older than her, she had to admit he treated her daughter well.

When Maura came back from putting Lizzie to bed, they talked until the late hours of the night and Jane loved it. Riley told them all about their days with Angela, her conversations with Alex, her afternoon with Sarah… Jane was happy Riley was so open about her life. Many fifteen-year old girls would do anything to hide their feelings and especially their crushes from their parents, but Riley was different. She always had been and she always would be different. She relished in her mothers' love, still having a hard time believing that there were people in this world who cared about her and loved her as their child.

Jane hoped their children would believe it soon. She hoped both girls would see how much they loved them and how much they cared about them. She hoped Lizzie would feel protected at all times, that Riley would never feel unloved again and that both girls knew that home was just two pairs of loving, motherly arms. She hoped they knew how much they loved them and that they would never stop for as long as she lived. Unconditional. Endless. Without pride. Just pure, strong, motherly love.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N Thanks to Broadway007 for inspiring another chapter! It's all sweetness and fluffiness, I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think!_

 **Chapter 15**

"We're hereeee!" Lizzie called out, jumping up and down in the backseat as she clutched a green pool noodle.

"That's right, baby," Jane smiled and turned off the engine. "Let's go find a good spot!"

Lizzie jumped out of the car, quickly followed by Riley and Maura. Riley had been a little quiet that morning, but Maura gave her a big hug and simply told her that everything would be okay, which surprisingly seemed to comfort the insecure teen.

They walked through the entrance, paid for the tickets and found a good spot at three big lounge chairs on the side. The indoor pool was big and fortunately, not very crowded today. There was another family a few yards away from them, which they greeted politely. Other than a few kids, a group of teenagers who looked a little bit older than Riley, and two other couples, the pool was quiet today.

Maura sat down in the chair and took off her dress, leaving her in a classy blue two-piece bathing suit. Jane did the same and took Lizzie's hand, leading her towards the pool. Maura smiled when Jane dived in and couldn't help biting her lip, loving the sight of her wife's lean, muscular body in a black bikini.

"Lizzie, don't!" Maura yelled, immediately jumping up from her chair when she saw that Lizzie was about to jump in the pool. She ran towards the girl and scooped her up in her arms, knowing that the pool was too deep for her.

"I wanna jump, Mommy," Lizzie whined with a pout.

"I know, but you can't swim very well and the pool is way too deep on this side." Maura turned to see Jane holding her arms open.

"C'mon, I'll catch you!"

"Yeah!" Lizzie squirmed out of Maura's arms and Maura reluctantly let the girl go, holding her breath as she watched her walking to the edge of the pool. She knew Jane would catch her, but she squinted when Lizzie took the jump.

The girl squealed when she jumped and Jane caught her before she even hit the surface of the water. Maura let go of the breath she'd been holding and heard Riley chuckling behind her.

"Oh, stop it." Maura smiled and playfully slapped Riley's arm, seeing that the teenager was still wearing her T-shirt. "Go," she whispered, brushing her daughter's hair back. "Go have fun."

Riley smiled a shy smile and took a deep breath before slowly pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it on one of the chairs. She took the plastic ball they brought and hesitated for one more moment before jumping in the pool, effectively wetting Jane and Lizzie who squealed.

Maura smiled and sighed contently. Every single time she saw those awful scars on Riley's back, she felt a sting of hurt in her chest. She didn't even know how much pain the girl went through. Cigarette burns are an awful way of torture and she still couldn't believe Riley had to go through that. It broke her heart.

However, Riley's scars seemed to fade as she wrestled with Jane and Lizzie in the pool. The smile on her face was priceless and Maura couldn't take her eyes off the sight of her lovely family.

"Mommy!" Lizzie yelled, splashing the water around. Her curls were flat and wet around her face and she wore a big, beaming smile. "You gotta come in too!"

Maura smiled and walked towards the edge of the pool, slowly lowering herself. But it only took a second before she felt a tug on her legs and Riley pulled her under, leaving her drenched from head to toe, sputtering and gasping for air.

"Riley!"

Riley just laughed, clutching her stomach as she dodged a playful slap from the blonde. "Sorry," she laughed.

Maura smiled a bright smile and opened her arms for Lizzie, who floated towards her with help from Jane, the pool noodle securely under her arms. She flipped her feet and threw her arms around Maura's neck, holding herself up. "Oh, hi baby," Maura said softly, kissing Lizzie's wet curls.

"Mama's gonna teach me to swim!" Lizzie said, grinning proudly as she straightened her back.

"She is?" Maura smiled and caressed Lizzie's exposed belly in her adorable blue-dotted two-piece bathing suit.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna be really good."

"I bet you are." Maura kissed Lizzie's cheek and let her go again, holding her up as she floated back to Jane.

The family ended up playing around for almost an hour until Maura got out and wrapped a towel around her body before laying on one of the chairs. She kept her eyes on her wife and daughters and couldn't wipe the loving smile off her face. Riley and Lizzie threw the ball back and forth while Jane tried to catch it, meanwhile making sure Lizzie wouldn't drift off too deep.

After a few more minutes, Jane lifted Lizzie out of the pool and headed towards Maura, followed by Riley. Maura eagerly opened her arms and took the now exhausted girl in her lap, wrapping her in a fluffy towel.

Jane sat down in the chair next to her and grabbed their bag, taking out a few drinks for the girls. She handed one to Lizzie and threw the other to Riley before Riley sat down on the end of Jane's chair. Maura opened the drink for Lizzie and rested her chin on top of wet curls when the girl started drinking.

"Riley?" Lizzie asked, pulling away from the straw.

Riley turned her head to look at her little sister. "Hm?"

"How'd the white spots get on your back?"

Maura held her breath and studied Riley's expression, seeing it harden immediately. "I don't want to tell," Riley answered, looking at her hands that fumbled with her drink.

"Why?"

"'Cause it makes me sad."

"But how'd you get them? Did someone bad hurt you like Mama?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Riley snapped her attention towards Lizzie and Maura saw anger firing in her blue eyes, but Lizzie didn't pick up on that.

"Was there blood?"

"Lizzie," Maura said softly, looking down at the girl in her lap, "Riley doesn't want to talk about it, okay?"

Lizzie looked up at Maura and saw the seriousness in her eyes. She nodded. "Sorry."

Maura smiled but saw that Riley was still upset.

"Riley," Jane reached out and brushed her still wet hair out of her face, but Riley leaned away and wrapped her towel tighter around herself.

Maura sighed. "Would you like some privacy to talk?" she asked, referring to the other people at the pool.

Riley just shook her head.

She stayed quiet the rest of the time they were at the pool. She went in for a swim, but Maura saw she was holding back and still upset. They had to drag Lizzie out of the pool when it was already past dinnertime, not wanting Lizzie to be too exhausted before going back to school on Monday.

They drove home in silence and Lizzie almost fell asleep by the time they arrived. Maura got out of the car and took Lizzie from the backseat, hugging her for a moment before letting her go and taking her hand as they walked inside. Riley sighed deeply and sat down on the couch, fumbling with her hands in her lap, still not speaking.

Maura let go of Lizzie's hand and wrapped an arm around Jane's waist, leaning into her side. Jane sighed and kissed the side of her wife's head. "Why does this still upset her so much?" Jane asked softly, not audible for Lizzie who was scurrying around the kitchen.

"I wish I knew," Maura whispered, resting her head on Jane's shoulder and kissing her neck. "I wish I knew."

After a few moments of silence, Lizzie crawled up on the couch and sat next to Riley. "I'm sorry, Riley," she said softly, looking up at her older sister.

Riley smiled and Maura saw tears on her cheeks. "Thanks," she mumbled. She was clutching the towel around her upper body, still wearing her bikini underneath, but she slowly loosened her grip.

Lizzie looked up as one of Riley's shoulder came out underneath the towel, covered in angry white scars. "Mama says they mean you're really strong," she said softly, sitting up on her knees to lightly touch a scar.

Riley flinched at first, but she allowed it. Maura swallowed hard and felt Jane's arms wrapping around her upper body and pulling her close as they watched their daughters.

Lizzie traced a large, round scar on Riley's upper back. "They mean you're strong 'cause you beated the bad guy."

Riley sniffled and Maura saw tears trickling down her cheeks. Lizzie just kept tracing the angry scars with her little fingers. "And that you're the best sister and the prettiest and the strongest…" She trailed lower, along the strap of Riley's bikini. "And you're the fastest swimmer 'cause the white spots make you really fast. And really pretty, like Mommy's freckles."

Lizzie smiled and put both of her little hands on Riley's back, sitting behind her on the couch. "And you're the strongest 'cause you got the white spots like Mama, and you're the smartest like Mommy, and the prettiest."

"Liz…" Riley turned around and the towel fell on the couch. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she smiled at her little sister.

"Stop crying, Riley!" Lizzie said, placing her little hands on Riley's cheeks like she did earlier with Maura. She straightened her back, her arms stretching to keep her hands on Riley's wet cheeks. "You're the bestest sister."

Riley smiled through her tears and pulled Lizzie's hands away to wrap her skinny arms around the little girl. "So are you, Liz," she said softly, her voice strangled with tears of love and gratefulness.

Maura felt Jane's lips on her cheek and realized that tears were trickling down her face. She turned to look at Jane and saw tears in her deep, brown eyes. Maura cupped Jane's cheek and pressed her lips against her wife's in a soft, tender kiss.

"I love you," she whispered, barely audible.

"I love you too." Jane kissed the blonde again before pulling back and looking at their daughters, still wrapped up in a sweet embrace on the couch. Maura rested her head against the bottom of Jane's jaw, loving how they fit together like two puzzle pieces, especially if Maura wasn't in heels.

The girls on the couch pulled away and Riley wiped her cheek with a shy smile. She didn't even put the towel back over her shoulders. Maura swallowed her tears at the sight. Riley leaned in and whispered something in Lizzie's ear, eliciting sweet giggles.

Lizzie sat up on her knees and leaned over the back of her couch, looking at her mothers. "Yeah!" She giggled and looked at Riley. "They are!"

"We're what?" Jane asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

Riley turned around and smirked. "I bet her you'd be crying."

"Oh, that's nice." Jane laughed and shook her head while Maura wiped her cheeks, chuckling. Jane walked up to the back of the couch and hooked her arms under Lizzie's, lifting her up and kissing her head. "You're a great sister, Liz."

Maura smiled and carefully sat down next to Riley, tucking a strand of damp hair behind her ear. Riley looked up into Maura's eyes and showed a sad smile before leaning into her mother's arms, her head resting on Maura's chest as her skinny arms wrapped around her waist.

Maura kissed the top of Riley's head and pulled her close with one arm while she used the other to softly trace the scars on her back. "I'm proud of you, my love," Maura whispered. "You're so strong and so brave."

Riley shivered and snuggled closer in Maura's warm arms, but she didn't pull the towel back up, a sign that she felt truly comfortable and safe in this moment. Maura rubbed Riley's back and felt the bumpy skin on her back, but most of all, she felt her daughter's love and the unconditional motherly love in her heart.

Jane walked around the couch and caressed Riley's hair for a second, smiling lovingly while she held Lizzie on her hip. "Lizzie's right, y'know."

Riley sniffled and nodded against Maura's chest, eliciting a sweet smile.

Lizzie wore a T-shirt over her bikini, but she was shivering in Jane's arms. "I'm cold, Mama."

"Let's get you in some warmer clothes then." Jane smiled and kissed Maura's lips as she put Lizzie on the ground and took her upstairs to change.

"Mom," Riley said softly, shifting to lean sideways into her mother's arms, "why's stuff like this still getting to me like this?"

Maura sighed and kissed the top of Riley's head. "I don't know, honey. You have a lot to process, still."

"But I thought I was so much better."

"You are." Maura pulled away and cupped Riley's face to look into her eyes. "You are getting so much better, my love. You've grown so much over the past year, you have no idea."

"Then how come I still get like this when Lizzie asks me a simple question?" Riley shook her head and tried to get rid of the tears that formed in her eyes.

"It's a simple question about a very sensitive subject," Maura answered softly, wiping a tear that made its way down Riley's pale cheek. "It's okay to get upset, honey. You've grown and you're so strong, but it's okay to break down every now and then. Remember how I told you about taking small steps?"

Riley nodded. "Take one step at the time."

"Exactly." Maura smiled and brushed Riley's damp hair out of her face. "And sometimes you take a small step back. That's okay. You'll take a step forward again tomorrow. As long as you keep taking steps, it's all going to be okay."

Riley smiled a sad smile and leaned forward into Maura's arms again. "I just want him to be out of my head, forever."

"He will, one day." Maura pulled her daughter close and rubbed her still bare back. "Someday, you'll suddenly realize you haven't thought about him in over a week. And one day after that, you'll notice you haven't thought about him in a month, two months, a year… Maybe you'll never fully forget him, but it'll get better. I promise."

Riley nodded and sniffled as she hid in her mother's arms, shivering slightly. Maura grabbed the towel from the couch and wrapped it around the teenager, holding her to her chest. "One step at the time, love," Maura whispered, feeling Riley's sobs increasing, "just one step."

"I hate him," Riley whispered, barely audible through her tears, her voice muffled by Maura's dress.

Maura sighed and felt tears burning in her eyes at her daughter's pain. The pain had faded, yes. But it would never disappear. "I hate him too, baby," she answered softly. "He's gone. He's dead."

Riley nodded. Maura pulled Riley close and wrapped the towel tighter around the shivering girl. "Oh, please go put on something warm, love." Maura smiled. "You're shivering."

Riley chuckled but didn't move away. "Thanks, Mom," she whispered.

Maura pulled away and cupped Riley's face, looking into her bright blue eyes. She pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead. "You're welcome," she whispered back. She brushed Riley's damp hair back, and smiled. "I love you. Now go change before you catch a cold."

Riley giggled and kissed Maura's cheek before standing up, grabbing the towel from the couch. "Love you too, Mom." 

Maura watched Riley walk away, swallowing a lump in her throat at the sight of her back covered in scars. It would never get easier to witness. She couldn't even begin to understand the pain she had gone through. Riley was so incredibly strong and brave. She didn't feel pain. Recently, she fell during soccer and her knee was badly bruised and every other person would be hopping around for at least a week, but Riley just kept going. She ignored the pain and went on, just like she had always done.

Maura felt tears in her eyes when she thought about the countless nights Riley must have been stirring in bed, crying in pain, not being able to sleep due to the burning marks on her back. Maura saw a seven-year old Riley sitting on the floor in her small bedroom, crying in pain after another beat-up from her dad. A tear trickled down her cheek when she thought about it. It broke her heart, but she only loved her daughter more. The determination to make this girl feel as loved as humanly possible only grew. If she could, she would shield Riley from all the pain in the world.

"Mama, why's everybody crying all the time?" Lizzie saw Maura's tears as she walked into the living room, looking up at Jane who had helped her getting into long pajama pants and a blue T-shirt.

Maura smiled and wiped her cheeks, winking at Jane to let her know she was okay. "I'm okay, baby. How about we order something to eat and watch a movie?"

"Yeah!" Lizzie nodded enthusiastically and hopped up on the couch.

"Sounds good." Jane grabbed the phone and threw the remote control towards Maura so they could pick a movie.

Maura handed Lizzie the remote and the girl was immediately happy she got to pick a movie. She scooted forward, her legs dangling down the edge of the couch as she pointed the remote at the TV.

After a few moments, Jane sat down next to Maura and slouched to lean into her wife's side, placing a loving kiss on Maura's neck. "You look gorgeous," she whispered.

Maura chuckled and shook her head. "We just got back from the pool and I haven't even changed yet."

Jane shrugged. "Still gorgeous." 

"I love you." Maura snuggled into Jane's side while she reached her left arm to caress Lizzie's damp curls.

Lizzie had picked a movie, one of her favorite Disney ones, and she scooted back up on the couch, leaning into Maura's free side as she put her thumb in her mouth.

Maura sighed and gently pulled it down. "Remember how we talked about that?" she said softly, referring to their conversation about sucking her thumb.

Lizzie pouted and nodded. She rested her head against Maura's upper arm and her light brown eyes focused on the television screen. After a minute, Riley came back downstairs and joined them on the couch, completing the family.

Maura looked at her loves next to her and couldn't avoid the tears in her eyes. "I love this," she whispered into Jane's ear, her forehead resting against her wife's temple. "This is my favorite part."

"Of what?" Jane asked, turning her head to look at her wife.

Maura smiled and pressed a light kiss to Jane's lips. "Of everything."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

It was Sunday and the very last day before the girls had to go back to school, so the family was enjoying their last moments of quiet time. Lizzie was playing quietly and contently in the living room, Riley was on her computer and Maura was reading a medical journal on the couch while Jane was in the kitchen pouring everyone something to drink.

The past few days had been perfect. The loving domestication of their lives together startled Jane. She loved it. They could do nothing together as a family and they still loved it.

Jane handed Lizzie a cup filled with juice, interrupting her thrilling fantasy of some kind of Disney toy saving the world from another toy. Jane smiled at the sight and stood still to watch for a few moments. Lizzie had a very vivid imagination and Jane hoped she would keep that childlike imagination for a long time.

She handed Maura a glass and pulled her out of her medical journal to kiss her lips. Maura's lips were always soft, somehow. They were warm and very hard to resist. They shared a few quiet words of love before Jane went on to Riley, sliding another glass towards her and making very clear she knew she had to drink all of it.

She took her own glass and was ready to cuddle up with her wife when the doorbell rang. She sighed and went to open the front door.

"Wow, hey!" Jane smiled and opened the door further, causing Riley to squeal loudly and jump up from her chair, running towards the front door as she threw her arms around Alex's neck.

"Oh my gosh!" Riley squealed, her face beaming with happiness.

"I hope this isn't a bad time…" Alex's father said with an apologetic smile, holding out his hand to Jane who shook it.

"No, it's no problem."

Maura stood up as well and greeted Alex and his father, Samuel. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh well," Samuel smiled and shrugged. "An aunt of mine passed away a few days ago and I'm here to attend her funeral."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Samuel waved Maura's words away. "I barely knew her."

"Well, we're happy to have Alex over."

"Thank you."

Riley was still hugging Alex and pulled away, looking a little shy as she fumbled with her hands. "How long will you be staying?"

"We have to go back tonight," Alex answered, still holding Riley's hand. It was adorable and innocent, but Jane didn't leave him out of her sight. "School starts tomorrow."

"Well, that goes for Riley as well so I'd appreciate it if it didn't get too late."

"Of course. I should be back around eight or nine."

"Great." Jane smiled and took Lizzie's hand as the girl walked up to her. "Would you like something to drink?"

Samuel looked at his watch and nodded. "I have some time, yes. Thank you."

Samuel was a nice man. He was sympathetic like his son, and Jane could tell he taught Alex his manners. They talked about his job as a middle school teacher, Maura's job as the chief ME and Jane's job as a detective, and Lizzie made sure to make it very clear to him that her mommy was the smartest of all the smart doctors and her mama was the toughest of all the bad guy-catchers. After an hour, he had to go and thanked both women extensively for having Alex over.

"We're gonna go upstairs," Riley said, already heading towards the hallway.

"You're what?" Jane asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Gonna go upstairs," Riley repeated, silently pleading Jane to be cool with just the look in her eyes.

"Jane," Maura whispered, standing next to Jane as she squeezed her arm.

Jane sighed and nodded before turning around. Riley smiled happily and took off.

Maura chuckled before wrapping her arms around Jane's neck, gently kissing her lips. "She's so happy," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with love and happiness.

"She is." Jane smiled and hid her face into the crook of Maura's neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent. "You think it's gonna last?"

"What do you mean?" 

Jane sighed and lifted her head to look at Maura. "Alex and Riley. You think it's the real thing?"

"I'm not sure about the definition of 'the real thing', but I don't know how long it will last." Maura smiled and brushed Jane's hair back, gently tracing her cheekbone with her thumb. "It's her first boyfriend, so everything feels real for her."

Jane nodded. "I just…" she sighed deeply and felt concern burning in her chest. "I just hope it's real for him too, y'know? He… He could really hurt her."

"I know," Maura whispered, still tracing Jane's cheeks with her fingers. "He has the power to break her heart, and I don't like that idea any more than you do."

Jane nodded her head in agreement and hid her face back into the crook of her wife's neck, staying silent for a few moments until Lizzie called from them from the living room. "What's Riley gonna do with Alex?" she asked, walking up to her mothers while holding two of her toys.

"Just…" Jane gritted her teeth and tried not to be overprotective. "Catching up."

Maura chuckled and pulled away from her wife to caress Lizzie's curls. "Do you want some fruit to eat, baby?"

Lizzie nodded. "Is Riley gonna give him kisses?" She giggled and wrinkled her nose.

"No!" Jane answered, a little too harsh.

Lizzie's smile fell and she looked at Jane with wide eyes. Maura sighed and cut up an apple for her daughter. "Jane."

"No, I mean…"

"He's her boyfriend, Jane." Maura raised her eyebrows and lifted Lizzie off the floor to put her on one of the stools at the counter.

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"He's a good kid." Maura chuckled and handed Lizzie her pieces of apple. She kissed the top of Lizzie's head and rubbed her back. "Before you know it, this one will be doing the same thing so we better get used to it."

"No way, Lizzie's six!" Jane folded her arms in front of her chest and leaned back against the counter.

"What? What, Mama?" Lizzie asked, hating to be excluded from any conversation, especially about herself.

Jane chuckled and winked at her daughter to make sure she knew she was just kidding around. "Mommy says you're gonna be kissing boys soon."

"Eeeeww!" Lizzie put her hands over her eyes and shook her head. "Boys are gross!"

Maura laughed and caressed the girl's curls. "You'll feel a lot different when you're Riley's age, love."

Lizzie folded her arms and pursed her lips. "No."

"No?" Jane chuckled at her daughter's adorable determination.

"I wanna kiss girls, just like you and Mommy!"

Her answer startled Jane and she looked at Maura, raising her eyebrows. "You do?"

Lizzie nodded with the same determination. "I'm gonna be l… les… lesbinum, like you and Mommy."

" _Lesbian_ , honey," Maura corrected her while she sat down on the stool next to Lizzie. "But it doesn't really work that way, Lizzie."

Lizzie looked at her mother and Maura smiled before brushing her messy curls back. "One day, you're going to find someone you're going to like a lot. And that person can be a boy or a girl. With me, it's boys and girls. And with Mama, it's just girls."

"So…" Lizzie furrowed her brow in deep thought, looking puzzled, "if it's girls, it's lesbinum like you and Mama?"

Maura sighed. "No, not necessarily. You can like both."

"Oh…" Lizzie shook her head. "I don't understand."

Maura chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Lizzie's forehead. "You don't have to, baby. You're only six."

"I'm big!"

"Yeah you are." Jane smirked and winked at Maura as she quickly leaned over Lizzie to place a soft kiss on Maura's lips. "One day you're just gonna meet a very special person and you're gonna love that person a whole lot. That's all that matters, really."

"Mama's right." Maura smiled and looked into Jane's eyes before turning her attention back to Lizzie. "And even if you don't meet that one special person, there's a lot of people that love you a lot."

Lizzie nodded but her brow was still furrowed. She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "I'm just gonna kiss girls."

Jane laughed and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "Good call. Girls are awesome." She cupped Maura's cheek and stepped around Lizzie to press her lips against Maura's soft ones. "And hot," she whispered against her wife's lips. "And soft and sweet and beautiful. I couldn't be gayer if I tried."

Maura chuckled and pushed her wife a few steps away from Lizzie before tangling her fingers in Jane's curls and pulling her back to her lips, kissing her with passion and force. Jane smiled into the kiss and traced Maura's lips with her tongue, silently asking for access, which Maura happily granted. They kissed lazily for a few moments, but broke it when they heard Lizzie shifting in her seat, making them aware of the fact that their six-year old daughter was still next to them.

"Maur," Jane said after they broke the kiss, her lips still inches away from Maura's. "You really think she's figured out her sexuality by six?"

Maura hummed and pulled away to wrap her arm around Jane's waist and lean into her side to look at Lizzie. "I don't know. It's possible." Maura smiled and kissed the bottom of Jane's jaw. "But it's also very possible that she just wants to be like her mommies, like most six-year olds do."

Jane sighed and looked at Lizzie who was trying to feed her apple to a Lion King toy. "This is gonna sound awful, but I kinda hope she'll into boys."

"Why?"

Jane shrugged. "Life's easier like that. I know it shouldn't be…"

"But it is." Maura sighed and leaned further into Jane's side. "I know what you mean."

"But we'll love her either way." Jane smiled and untangled herself from her wife to stop Lizzie who was starting to stand up on her chair, moving the toy through the air as if it was flying. "You're gonna fall, baby. Eat first. Then play."

Lizzie sighed and nodded as she quickly finished her fruit. Jane smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You can kiss whoever you want to kiss as long as that person first comes by me for a full checkup and you're at least 25."

"Oh, Jane." Maura laughed and swatted Jane's arm while she walked past her.

Lizzie, blissfully unaware of the whole thing, finished her apple and jumped off her chair. "Mama, you wanna play with me?"

"Sure thing, baby." Jane was ready to take on anything that would keep her mind off Riley and Alex upstairs. She trusted both of them, but she didn't know if she would ever get used to her daughter having a boyfriend.

Lizzie bounced excitedly and tugged on Jane's hand, leading her towards her box with toys in the living room. She grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, a duck named Stevie, Spiderman, her Lion King toys and a bunch of other toys she had brought from her old house and new toys Jane and Maura bought for her. She made up a whole story about the lions being attacked by the evil duck and bear, and Spiderman of course saved the day. Jane played along and loved her daughter's playful imagination. She could make up an entire fantasy world in her own mind and Jane loved to play along in that world.

She actually managed to get Riley and Alex off her mind for a while until the two came back downstairs. Jane looked up from her spot on the floor and saw that Riley's expression had flattened. Her shoulders were hanging low and her eyes didn't sparkle like they did when Alex first arrived.

Jane excused herself from her play with Lizzie and stood up, standing next to Alex who was sipping from a glass of soda while Riley walked into the living room to get something. "You okay?" Jane asked Alex.

Alex looked up and Jane saw worry in his brown eyes. "I'm not sure. She's uhm…" He stopped and shook his head. "She's gonna be fine."

Jane sighed and examined Alex's expression. She saw genuine concern. "Talk to me, Alex."

Alex took a deep breath and looked at Jane. "We uhm…" he hesitated when Maura joined the two of them, but went on after a reassuring look from Jane. "She's a little upset and I don't really know why, that's all."

"What did you do?" Jane asked, her eyes screaming anger. She looked at Riley in the living room as the girl was kneeling while she looked for something in her backpack, trying to get rid of her sadness at the same time.

"Nothing!"

"Then why's she upset?"

"Jane." Maura placed her hand on Jane's arm and gave her a warning glare.

Jane sighed and averted her gaze. Alex was truly worried. He didn't do anything bad to her daughter. There could have been a million things upsetting Riley. "She's been through a lot. Go easy on her."

"Of course." Alex smiled politely and his smile grew wider when Riley came back, holding a book.

"This is the one." She showed it to Alex and smiled proudly. "You _have_ to read it."

Alex nodded and took the book from Riley. "I'll try."

"I promise you'll like it. Even if you hate books."

"I do hate books. You know that." 

Riley chuckled and shook her head. "You'll love this one."

Jane looked at Maura and saw the proudest smile in the world curling up her wife's lips. Maura had bought that book for Riley, knowing she would like it, and she clearly did.

"You can take it," Riley said, pointing at the book, "just give it back when you're finished. It was a present from my mom."

Maura smiled even brighter and laced her fingers with Jane's, squeezing her hand in hers. Alex nodded and browsed through the book while Riley watched him with a smile.

"Hey, is it okay if we go to the park?" Riley asked, turning to look at her mothers. "I wanna show Alex around."

Jane hesitated but Maura squeezed her hand, silently giving permission. "Sure. Be back before dinner, okay?"

Riley nodded and smiled as she stepped forward to kiss Jane's cheek. "Thanks, Ma." She moved to do the same with Maura before turning around and taking Alex's hand to lead him to the front door.

Alex opened the door for Riley and Jane grinned at his manners. Jane got back to her youngest daughter while Maura got back to her medical journal. Riley and Alex came back right on time and they had a lovely, simple dinner together. The evening went by quickly and all too soon, Alex's father came to pick him up. Riley and Alex took what felt like an hour to say goodbye and the girl immediately went upstairs to her bedroom as soon as the front door closed behind them.

"Damn we really need to talk to her, don't we?" Jane asked softly, standing next to Maura at the door.

"Language," Maura replied absentmindedly. "Yes we do."

Jane sighed and kissed her wife's temple. "Let's give her some time. First it's time to put Lizzie to bed."

"Oh, it's way too late for her again. She has school tomorrow!"

"It's only half an hour after her usual bedtime," Jane answered with a smile before walking towards Lizzie in the living room. Lizzie was almost lying down on the floor while she lazily kept on playing. "C'mon, baby. Time for bed. School tomorrow."

Lizzie nodded and took her mother's hand. "I don't wanna go to school, Mama."

"Oh, you're going to have a lot of fun, baby." Maura followed them with a smile towards Lizzie's bedroom.

"Yeah, you're just nervous." Jane pulled Lizzie's shirt over her head before they reached her room, tossing it in the laundry basket in the hallway.

"My stomach's tingly," Lizzie said, looking up at her mother.

"Yep, that's nerves." Jane smiled and leaned down to kiss her daughter's head. "It's gonna be okay."

Lizzie nodded and started unbuttoning her pants. "Is you gonna bring me tomorrow?"

"Well, of course." Maura smiled and grabbed a pair of clean pajamas from Lizzie's closet. "We'll take you and pick you up afterwards."

"Maur, I'm at work tomorrow," Jane said softly, taking Lizzie's pants to take them into laundry as well.

"Oh, can't you take a few hours to pick her up together?"

"I don't know yet," Jane replied, looking at Maura, "you know how it works."

Maura sighed and watched as Lizzie put on her pajamas. "I know." 

"The team's working on a murder since yesterday."

Maura nodded. "I'm analyzing the autopsy results this week. I know." She smiled a sad smile and reached up to brush her wife's curls back. "Just try? It'd mean so much to her if we were both there."

Jane sighed and pecked Maura's lips. "I'll try."

They continued to put Lizzie to bed, which turned out to be rather easy due to the fact that she was exhausted. Jane effectively talked her out of her nerves and Lizzie fell asleep with a sweet smile on her lips. Both women knew they had to talk to Riley at some point, but when Jane carefully opened her bedroom door, she was laying with her back towards her mother. It looked like she was sleeping.

"Riley?" Jane whispered, not wanting to wake the girl.

No response. Jane sighed and closed the door. They would talk later.

 _A/N I feel like I lost my flow a bit with this chapter, but I promise the next will be better. I just wanted some more Alex and Riley in this story, I hope you liked it anyway! Reviews make me happy, they mean a lot to me._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Maura stood in front of Lizzie's school, watching other parents and children on the schoolyard while she patiently waited for Lizzie to walk out of the building. She didn't want to come in, afraid to embarrass the girl. This morning, Jane and herself both went in to bring Lizzie to her classroom. Maura had insisted on informing Lizzie's teacher about her health. Even though the mono was leaving her system, she still tired easily and she wasn't fully herself yet.

Lizzie's teacher was a nice woman and she promised to keep an eye on the girl. Lizzie had been nervous but excited that morning, just like Riley. However, Riley wasn't as nervous as her sister and tagged along with Sarah to go to school while Jane and Maura took Lizzie. After a dozen kisses and hugs, Lizzie walked into the classroom while both her mothers watched as she immediately started talking to a boy in the seat next to her. Lizzie was social and open. She would be fine.

Sadly, they hadn't had a chance to talk to Riley yet. Life got in the way. She seemed fine this morning, but Maura saw that she was sad and quieter than usual. She hoped to have time to talk this afternoon. She worried about the teenager. Riley was feeling overwhelmed and confused, and Maura hoped with all her heart that she would open up to her mothers about it.

Suddenly, light blond curls appeared in front of the building and Maura smiled when she saw Lizzie running towards her, her Sesame Street backpack bouncing on her back, her shoelace untied, her jeans stained as ever. Maura let out a loving laugh at the appearance of her little girl and kneeled while she opened her arms, Lizzie immediately running into them.

"Hey, baby." Maura smiled and kissed the side of Lizzie's head while the girl's small arms wrapped around her neck.

"Where's Mama?"

"Oh, she had to work, my love." Maura pulled back and brushed Lizzie's hair out of her face, making a mental note to tie it in a ponytail tomorrow. "But," Maura smiled and put her finger to Lizzie's pouting lips before she could comment on that, "we're going to visit her right now." 

Lizzie's face lit up and she smiled brightly. "Really?"

"Yes." Maura stood up and took Lizzie's hand while they walked to the car. "She doesn't have much time, but she loves it if you come by."

Lizzie nodded and jumped in excitement. "I like Mama's work! They has donuts!"

"Oh well… I don't think they have those today…" Maura tried to lie, but she immediately felt her chest flushing at the innocent lie. She sighed and unlocked the car while she got in the front seat, Lizzie sitting in the back. Maybe a small donut couldn't hurt.

"So how was your first day, honey?" Maura asked, looking in the rearview mirror while she took off.

"Good." Lizzie grinned and looked out of the window. "We learned to write our names today. First and last!"

"You did?" Maura smiled proudly and turned at the end of the street. "You have a difficult last name!"

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded and smiled. "I write Peyton first 'cause that's easy."

Maura sighed. Peyton was Lizzie's original name, but she was named Rizzoli-Isles when Jane and Maura adopted her. They asked for Lizzie's opinion on it, but they weren't sure she really understood it at the time. "Oh," Maura replied, smiling at her youngest daughter. "That's nice."

"But then Mrs. Allan said I gotta write my own name," Lizzie said while she got out a bright yellow notebook from her backpack, a picture of a dog on the front. "So I gotta write Rizzoli-Isles but that's so hard!"

Maura stopped at a red light and turned around to look at Lizzie's writing. She wrote both the Z's backwards and she spelled 'Isles' wrong, but it was the effort that mattered. "Oh that's wonderful! I'm proud of you, honey."

"Why do I have two last names, Mommy?" Lizzie asked, putting her work back in her backpack while Maura took off as the light turned green.

"Because you got your mothers' names, honey. Mama and I both have two last names."

"So…" Lizzie pursed her lips and rested her head against the back of her seat, "you're Mommy Rizzoli-Isles?"

Maura chuckled. Mommy was a great first name coming from her daughter. "No, I'm Isles-Rizzoli. Mama is Rizzoli-Isles." 

"I don't understand!" Lizzie said, leaning forward in her seatbelt to put her head on the seat in front of her. "Why's you not have the same name?"

Maura laughed and parked the car in front of BPD. "It was just easier. I wanted your Mama's name, and she wanted mine, but this way, I'm still doctor Isles and Mama is still detective Rizzoli."

Lizzie nodded and seemed satisfied with that answer. She grabbed her backpack and took Maura's hand while they walked into the precinct together, meeting sergeant Korsak in the police café.

"Hey, Lizzie!" He greeted them with a smile. "Nice to see you around again." 

Lizzie smiled and shifted closer to Maura. Maura smiled as she kept holding her daughter's hand. "We're just visiting Jane."

"Oh yeah, she's upstairs waiting for you." Korsak smiled and bend down to get to Lizzie's eye level. "How would you like a nice donut?" he whispered.

Lizzie's face lit up with a bright smile and she nodded. "Yeah!"

"Oh, baby maybe you'd like some fruit in stead?" Maura tried, but Lizzie shook her head and was already following Korsak to the café. She sighed but smiled when Lizzie politely thanked the older man for the chocolate donut she received.

Maura thanked Korsak and took Lizzie's hand again, leading them towards the elevator. "I wanna hit the button!"

Lizzie jumped and pushed the button of the second floor after Maura pointed it out to her. As soon as the doors opened again, Lizzie ran out towards Jane who was sitting at her desk and turned to greet them with a loving smile.

"Mamaa!" Lizzie attacked Jane's legs and crawled into her lap to wrap her small arms around Jane's neck.

Jane laughed and blushed a little, glancing at the colleagues that were working in the same office. Lizzie pulled away and moved her backpack to grab her writing she told Maura about so proudly. "I writed my name, Mama!"

"You did?" Jane smiled and reached up her arm to pull Maura down for a quick peck on her lips.

Lizzie nodded and showed Jane her writing. "Look! It's," she pointed each letter with her finger, "Lizzie Rizzoli-Isles."

"Aw, you're brilliant just like your mom." Jane smiled proudly and kissed Lizzie's temple.

Maura took Lizzie's backpack from her hands and pulled up a chair to the side of Jane's desk while she got out Lizzie's cup with juice. She handed it to Lizzie and she sipped from it after she turned in Jane's lap to lean back into Jane's front.

"So, you had a good time?" Jane asked, resting her chin on top of Lizzie's head.

Lizzie nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm glad."

"Mama," Lizzie asked, turning her head to look at Jane, "is there bad guys in here?"

Jane chuckled and shook her head. "No, baby. Not in the office."

"Where are they then?"

"Well, sometimes we have to talk to them and we bring them into those rooms over there," Jane pointed at the hallway, "but they can't come in here."

Lizzie nodded and took a sip of her drink. "Is it hard to catch bad guys?"

"Sometimes." Jane smiled at Maura and rubbed Lizzie's belly. "Sometimes, bad guys are really stupid and it's easy for us to catch them. But sometimes they're smart and it's harder. Like right now, it's really hard 'cause we have to catch a _really_ smart one."

"Smarter than Mommy?" Lizzie asked, her eyes wide in fascination as she turned in Jane's lap, looking up at her mother.

"No," Jane laughed and brushed Lizzie's hair back, "nobody's as smart as Mommy."

Maura was about to protest on that when Korsak came back into the office, holding his phone to his ear. He moved it away and looked at Jane. "Jane, we got an address."

"Great!" Jane stood up and hugged Lizzie for a second before kissing her cheek and putting her on the floor. She sighed and cupped Maura's cheek to kiss her lips. "I'm sorry."

Maura shook her head and smiled. "It's okay." She kissed Jane's lips again and looked into sparkling brown eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Maura took Lizzie's hand and took her back to the elevators. "We're leaving already?" Lizzie asked with a pout.

"Mama has to work, honey." Maura brushed Lizzie's curls back while they stepped into the elevator.

"Can I come to your work?" Lizzie looked up at her mother with a hopeful smile but Maura smiled and shook her head. Another medical examiner was working today and she didn't want to confront her six-year old daughter with cut-up dead bodies and stomach contents.

"No, honey. We're just going home."

Lizzie sighed in disappointment and grabbed Maura's hand again, leaning her head against her mother's hip while they waited for the elevator to arrive. She was tired after a first day filled with new experiences, nerves, excitement and learning. Add visiting Jane at BPD to that and the girl was absolutely exhausted.

They drove back home and Maura expected to meet Riley there, but instead she noticed a text on her phone that said she was spending the afternoon at Sarah's. Maura texted her back she had to be home before dinner and a few words of love. Riley simply texted a 'thank you' and 'love you' back.

"Come here, honey," Maura said softly, opening her arms for Lizzie while she sat on the couch.

Lizzie grabbed her Spiderman toy and crawled into her mother's lap, sitting sideways to rest her head on Maura's chest while she silently played with the toy. Maura sighed contently and kissed the top of Lizzie's head before reaching out to grab a plastic bowl with the cut-up mango Maura prepared for the girl. "Don't forget your mango."

Lizzie nodded and took the bowl from her mother's hand, taking a bite of one of the pieces. "Mommy?"

"Hm?"

"Is writing always gonna be so hard?"

Maura smiled and pulled her daughter close, resting her cheek against the girl's forehead as she watched Lizzie nibbling on her fruit. "No, my love. You're going to learn a lot this year."

"Do you think I'm gonna be as smart like you?" Lizzie asked, her voice innocent and hopeful.

Maura swallowed her tears and smiled happily, rubbing Lizzie's upper arm while she held the girl close in her lap. "Oh, you are very smart. I just went to school for a very long time and studied a lot of difficult things. And you are just as smart as everybody else."

"Really?" Lizzie put another piece of mango in her mouth and snuggled into her mother's chest.

"Yes. Everybody is smart in their own way. You are very good at making up stories, solving everyday-problems, drawing pictures, finding connections, making people smile… You're good at so many things!" Maura brushed Lizzie's hair back and smiled as she looked into light brown eyes. "It's okay if it's difficult to write for now. You'll learn. It's only the first day."

Lizzie nodded and finished her fruit, putting the bowl away on the side table next to the couch before snuggling back into warm arms. "I'm sorry for writing Peyton," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper.

"Oh, honey," Maura cupped Lizzie's cheek with one hand as she kept rubbing her daughter's back with the other. "You don't have to be sorry for that."

"But I'm Rizzoli-Isles now."

"Yes, you are." Maura smiled and pressed her lips against Lizzie's forehead. "And I'm very, very proud of that. But before that, your name was Peyton, and just because you're Rizzoli-Isles now, doesn't mean Peyton goes away."

"Can I have a different name?" Lizzie asked, looking up at her mother.

Maura swallowed and felt like a heavy ball dropped to her stomach. "What do you mean, honey?"

"You changes my name, I wanna change it too." Lizzie's eyes sparkled and she straightened her back. "I wanna be… Lizzie… Spiderman!"

Maura laughed and sighed in relief. "That's a very cool name." 

"Yeah!" Lizzie smiled brightly at her genius idea and shifted to lean back into Maura's front while she played with her Spiderman. "Or I can be Simba Spiderman!"

Maura chuckled and pulled her daughter impossibly closer, motherly love and pride overwhelming her. "But I like your name, honey."

"Really?" Lizzie chuckled and lazily moved Spiderman's arms up and down.

"Yes. It's sweet and adorable. I love Lizzie. And Elizabeth."

Lizzie wrinkled her nose. "You and Mama only say Elizabeth when you's mad at me."

Maura laughed and nodded, knowing that she was right. "Well, I love it anyway." She pressed her lips against the girl's hairline and pulled her close. "I love Elizabeth and Lizzie and I love you."

"I'm all those!" Lizzie giggled, nuzzling into Maura's chest.

"Yes, and I love you."

They stayed silent for a while until Lizzie stopped playing with her toy and started falling asleep. Maura smiled and waited a little longer until the girl was truly sleeping before carefully putting her down on the couch while she walked to her laptop in the kitchen, catching up on reviewing some autopsy reports. She was a little behind and Maura hated being behind.

Jane picked Riley up on her way home, as well as dinner for the family. Maura was happy to take a break and set the table while she listened to Jane waking Lizzie up. They joked and cuddled for a while before joining Maura and Riley at the dinner table.

Maura took Riley's plate and scooped some food onto it, smiling when she put it back in front of the teenager. "You're quiet, honey."

Riley shrugged. "Tired."

"So you said you had a good first day?"

"Yeah. It was fine."

"Do you have any new classmates?"

"Yeah," Riley swallowed her bite and looked at her mother, "a new guy from like, South Carolina or something, and _Robin_ of course."

"Oh, she's in your class?" Jane asked, turning her head to look at her daughter.

"Unfortunately, yeah." Riley sighed deeply. "She's being all bitchy and stuff."

"Riley, language!" Maura glared at her daughter and put a piece of broccoli back on Lizzie's plate after the girl tried to secretly put it back in the box.

"Sorry."

"She's being mean?" Jane asked, placing her hand on Riley's arm.

Riley nodded. "She didn't really do anything, she just looks at us and makes people think we're stupid."

"Oh, that's not right." Jane tilted her head and squinted her eyes.

"We just ignore her. People will find out what she's really like soon."

"That's a very smart thing to do," Maura smiled proudly and tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. She was still upset about whatever happened with Alex and she didn't talk about it. That hurt, but Riley needed time.

By the time they finished dinner, Lizzie was practically sleeping in her chair so Jane took her to bed while Maura and Riley cleared the dinner table. Riley handed Maura a dirty plate and Maura smiled at her daughter. "Honey," she said softly, closing the dishwasher, "you're upset."

Riley sighed and shook her head. "I'm fine."

"I don't think you are." Maura smiled and tilted her head. "It's your choice and your decision if you want to talk about it, but…" she sighed and raised her hand to carress Riley's cheek, "just know that we're here, okay?"

Riley nodded and averted her gaze, nervously shifting her feet as she fumbled with the hem of her shirt, a sign that she was trying to open up. "I just…" she took a deep breath and looked at her fumbling hands. "What if I'm not ready for a boyfriend?"

"Then you have to wait a little longer," Maura replied softly.

"But…" Riley looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes, "what if he doesn't want to wait?"

Maura sighed and took Riley's arm to lead her towards the couch, inviting her to sit next to her. "What makes you think you're not ready?"

"I… We…" She sighed and looked up when Jane entered the living room. She stopped talking and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I-… I'll go," Jane said softly, sensing that she had interrupted something.

"No," Riley whispered, looking up at the brunette. "You can stay."

Jane smiled and sighed in relief before she hesitantly sat down next to Maura, facing Riley as she shifted sideways on the couch. "You're afraid you're not ready, aren't you?" Jane whispered.

Riley nodded. "I kinda… freaked out."

"When?"

"When we were upstairs yesterday."

"What did he do?" Jane asked, her tone immediately angry and protective.

"Nothing!" Riley looked at her mother and Maura saw tears in her blue eyes. "We just… We were kissing, and the first kiss was just quick and light and no big deal but now we got into it and I just…" she sighed and her cheeks were red with embarrassment, causing Maura to reach out and gently take the girl's hand in hers. Riley smiled through her tears and looked at her hands. "I freaked out."

"What happened?" Maura whispered, giving her daughter's hand a light squeeze.

"I pushed him away and… panicked. After he left."

"Oh, honey…" Maura swallowed and wiped a tear from Riley's cheek with the back of her hand.

"I didn't even have a reason to freak out!" Riley said, her voice loud and strangled with tears. "I didn't have flashbacks or memories or anything I just… Freaked out! I didn't enjoy it and I didn't want to do that ever again and I like him so much! And he likes me too and he was very sweet about it and I just… messed it all up."

"You didn't mess it up, baby," Jane smiled soothingly. "You still had fun the rest of the day, didn't you?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah. But not like… really boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Have you talked to him about it?" Maura asked, wiping another tear from Riley's cheek.

Riley shook her head and sniffled. "I'm afraid I'll scare him off."

"You won't."

"How could you possibly know that," Riley said as she tilted her head.

Jane chuckled and shrugged. "I'm a detective."

"You say that all the time!" Riley laughed through her tears and wiped her cheeks. "You'd say you can rebuild the Empire State Building 'cause you're a detective."

"Maybe I could!"

Maura laughed and swatted Jane's leg before turning her attention back to Riley. "Honey, Alex really likes you. He's a good guy and he'll like you just as much if you tell him you just want to be friends for now."

"I'm just..." Riley sighed deeply and averted her gaze towards her fumbling hands in her lap. "I'm afraid that if we continue like this, I'll freak out more and more and... In stead of his hands I'll feel..." she closed her eyes as tears trickled down her cheek.

Maura swallowed and wiped her wet cheeks before she brushed some hair out of her daughter's face. "You're afraid you'll feel _his_ hands in stead of Alex's."

Riley nodded. She looked up at Maura with pain and regret in her blue eyes. "I don't think I'm ready for a boyfriend," she whispered.

Jane smiled a sad smile and rubbed Maura's upper back. "Then tell him that. He'll understand. If he truly likes you, he'll know you will be worth the wait."

"You can be just friends for now."

"For now?"

"Yeah," Jane added, placing her hand on Maura's leg. "If you want to be just friends for now, you can always see where it takes you. Maybe you guys have been going too fast."

"You think?"

Jane hesitated and sensed that she might have said something wrong. "Just… for you, you know? You just… You maybe need a little more time."

Fresh tears sprung into Riley's eyes and she let out a frustrated groan. "Why am I always such a damaged kid?! I just want to be normal!"

Maura sighed and wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her to her chest. "You're not damaged, my love. You're different. You're special and so, so strong. You just need a little more time. That's totally okay."

Riley nodded and wrapped her skinny arms around Maura's waist. "I hate that."

"I know, baby," Jane said, reaching her hand to stroke Riley's hair. "But it doesn't make you any less special or amazing."

Riley sniffled and snuggled closer into Maura's arms. "Thanks," she mumbled through her tears.

"I love you, my baby," Maura whispered after placing a kiss on top of her daughter's head. "My special, beautiful baby." She sighed and pulled he daughter close in her arms. "You are worth the wait, sweetheart. He knows that."

She pulled back and looked into Riley's shimmering blue eyes. She cupped her face and smiled. "It'll be okay."


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N My computer crashed and I lost ALL of my fanfics. I had almost 10 chapters written in advance for this story so I had to re-write everything. It's not as good as what I first had, but better things are coming up. I hope you like this chapter, thank you all for sticking with me and being so kind!_

 **Chapter 18**

Jane knocked on Riley's bedroom door and waited for her daughter to answer, but she didn't reply. "Riley?" Jane said softly, not knowing if she was asleep already.

A muffled 'yes' told her that Riley was awake and in need of comfort.

Jane opened the door and saw Riley sitting at her desk, her homework in front of her while she stared at the wall.

"Hey honey," Jane greeted her daughter, slowly approaching her. "You shouldn't be working on your homework this late."

Riley didn't reply.

"Geography?" Jane asked, taking a look at the textbook on Riley's desk.

Riley sighed deeply and looked up at her mother. "I called him."

"Oh…" Jane sat down on the edge of Riley's desk and looked into pained blue eyes. "What did he say?"

Riley shrugged. "He said he was disappointed but he understood."

"That's…" Jane hesitated. "That's good, isn't it?"

Riley nodded slowly and showed a small smile. "He even made a joke about the friendzone."

Jane chuckled, not knowing what to say. Riley was clearly upset, even though the conversation seemed to have been going pretty well. "What is it, baby?" Jane asked softly.

"He didn't say anything about waiting for me." Riley looked up at Jane with tears in her eyes and her bottom lip quivered. "He just said he understood and agreed to be friends and he didn't say any of the things you said last night!" Tears trickled down the girl's cheek and she let out a silent sob. "He doesn't want to wait for me, Ma…"

Jane sighed and felt her daughter's pain. She brushed Riley's hair out of her face and kissed her head before pulling her up from her chair and wrapping her in her arms. She had no idea what to say. "Maybe he does," Jane mumbled.

Riley shook her head against Jane's shoulder. "Then why didn't he say so?"

"Maybe he didn't have the opportunity."

Riley pulled away and looked at her mother with tears in her eyes. "If he really wanted to wait for me, he would've found an opportunity."

Jane sighed. Riley was right. "He's probably just disappointed, baby."

Riley nodded and choked on her tears as she hid her face back into Jane's shoulder. Her skinny arms wrapped around her mother's waist as Jane's strong arms held her up. Her daughter just went through her first break-up and Jane didn't know how to deal with it.

"You made a very adult decision, Riley," Jane said softly as she comfortingly rubbed Riley's back. "You protected yourself and made a very difficult decision because you know it's better for you. I'm so proud of you for that, honey."

"I'm not," Riley mumbled quietly. "I hate it."

Jane smiled to herself and kissed the top of Riley's head. "I know. Adult decisions suck."

Riley nodded.

They stayed silent for a while, Riley crying softly as Jane sat back on the edge of Riley's desk and pulled the girl to stand in between her legs, holding her tight in her arms.

"Jane?" Maura's voice softly called out from the hallway, careful not to wake Lizzie. "Where are you?" 

"In here," Jane called back, smiling when Maura entered Riley's bedroom.

"Oh, baby," Maura said softly as she stepped towards her wife and daughter, gently rubbing Riley's back. "What's going on?" 

"I-… I called Alex," Riley answered softly, not looking at Maura.

Maura sighed and placed a kiss on the back of Riley's head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." She stroked Riley's back and smiled a sad smile at her wife. "God, baby you're shivering," she whispered before walking to Riley's bed where she had thrown a sweater on the blankets.

Jane opened her arms and took the sweater from Maura to drape it around Riley's shoulders. "It's gonna be alright, Riley."

Riley smiled through her tears and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Jane pulled Riley's sweater tighter around her shoulders and caressed her cheek for a moment. "It sucks right now though, doesn't it?"

"Jane," Maura whispered with a silent glare. "Language."

Jane chuckled and was happy to see Riley suppressing a giggle.

"You should sleep," Jane said softly, brushing a strand of hair out of Riley's face. "Soccer game tomorrow."

Riley nodded. "We're gonna kick their-…." she stopped and chuckled, "butts tomorrow."

Maura shook her head. "Good."

"You gonna come watch?"

"I'm staying with Lizzie," Jane answered as Riley stepped away. "She has a playdate with some kid from her class."

"Rose," Maura added before looking back at Riley. "I'll drive you and watch the game."

Riley smiled a grateful smile as she wiped the last of her tears away. "Just… Don't wear your heels, okay?"

"Well why can't I look fashionable?"

"You can, just… with flat shoes!" Riley smirked and threw the covers on her bed away to search for her pajamas.

"They don't go with my dress."

"Mom, it's gonna be freezing cold tomorrow! Why would you wear a dress?"

Jane chuckled at their interaction. Maura didn't dress for the weather.

Maura just shrugged. "It's hardly freezing, Riley. It's not even winter yet. Why do you care so much about what I wear?"

Riley sighed and her expression turned to embarrassment. "Well… It's kinda… embarrassing when you stumble through the mud in your expensive shoes…"

Maura swallowed and Jane saw hurt on her face. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I-… I didn't meant to embarrass you."

"No! It's okay," Riley smiled a reassuring smile. "You're the best. It's just easier to wear flats, y'know?"

Maura nodded. "Of course."

"Mom, I didn't mean it like that. I love you. It's just… they laughed at you last time."

"Who did?" Jane asked, immediately feeling protective.

"Some girls from the team." Riley shrugged. "But I told them to shut up and that they could only wish to ever get half the class Mom has."

Jane smiled proudly and felt Maura taking her hand that was resting on the desk behind her. She squeezed it softly.

"I just don't want them to have a reason to laugh at you, you know?" Riley smiled to herself and grabbed her pajamas from under her pillow. "I'm gonna get in trouble if I punch them in the face."

Maura smiled a shy smile and leaned into Jane's side as the brunette kissed her temple. "Your mom just wears what she wears, baby. If that's a reason for people to laugh at her, that's their problem. You should just ignore it. I think it's hot." Jane smirked at Maura and dodged a playful slap on her arm.

Riley wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, okay."

Maura chuckled and stepped away from Jane to press a kiss on Riley's forehead. "I love you, sweet girl. I'm sorry if I ever embarrassed you."

Riley shook her head and threw her skinny arms around Maura's neck. "You're not embarrassing," she said softly. "You're actually really awesome."

Maura smiled and kissed the side of Riley's head as she pulled her close. "I know I'm not a cool mom. Your Ma has taken that role."

"You are cool, Mom," Riley replied quietly. "You're the most beautiful mom of the team and you're the only one that's not upset when we lose a game." 

"It's the effort that counts," Maura whispered, pulling back to smile at her daughter. "Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Now it really is time to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow." 

Riley groaned and threw her head back as she shrugged the sweater off her shoulders.

Jane kissed Riley's cheek and said good night, followed by Maura before they walked down the hallway.

"I'm going to take a bath," Maura said softly, turning around before they entered their bathroom. "Care to join me?"

"Like I'm ever saying no to that." Jane smirked and followed her beautiful wife towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the couple sat comfortingly in the hot water, Maura in between Jane's legs, her back pressed against her wife's front, her temple resting against Jane's jaw.

"I'm proud of her," Maura said softly, her arms tangling with Jane's around her stomach. "She knows what she needs and she made a decision. And she's sticking to it."

Jane nodded. "I told her that too."

"Did Alex really pull away like that?"

Jane shrugged and lowered her head to kiss Maura's neck. "I'm not sure. I think Riley interpreted parts of it in a bad way."

Maura sighed. "Her first break-up…"

"I remember mine," Jane said with a sentimental smile. "I broke up with a guy 'cause… Well, really because I was gay but I didn't admit that until years later, but he was just annoying." 

Maura chuckled and leaned comfortably in Jane's arms. "What did he do?"

"He got all clingy and cuddly."

"Seriously?" Maura turned her head and looked at her wife. "You broke up with someone because of too much cuddles?"

Jane tilted her head and squinted her eyes. "Yeah. I was thirteen!"

Maura giggled and shifted back into her original position, humming contently at the contact. "I had my first girlfriend when I was fifteen in boarding school. You know, aside from my childish relationship with Clint in the third grade. Marcia broke up with me after five months. I was heartbroken. Our relationship was secret and she said she couldn't take it anymore."

"She's stupid for letting you go," Jane said softly, her arms wrapping tighter around her wife.

Maura shrugged. "It's okay. I ended up with you." She smiled and turned her head to kiss Jane's lips.

"I think breaking up with someone can be even harder than someone breaking up with you," Jane replied softly, still thinking about Riley. "Especially when you don't really want to let that person go, you know? You know you're gonna hurt someone you care a lot about."

"You truly cared about your first boyfriend, didn't you?"

Jane nodded. "But like.., as a friend. We had a great connection and we got along so well but I didn't want to kiss him or anything. Of course, a potential friendship was ruined after I broke up with him."

"I'm sorry."

"Deep down I always knew I was into girls," Jane whispered softly. "But my parents always talked about boyfriends and girlfriends were just… out of the question."

Maura shifted to look at her wife and cupped Jane's cheek, leaving a wet trail from the bathwater.

"I don't want it to be like that for our kids, Maur." Jane shook her head and swallowed a lump in her throat. "I want Lizzie to know that she's free to fall in love with whoever she wants and I never want either of our children to force themselves through uncomfortable relationships just because that's what they think they are supposed to be doing."

"Of course." Maura nodded and captured Jane's lips in a loving kiss. She smiled into the kiss and turned her body to straddle Jane's lap. Jane felt goosebumps on her wife's skin that emerged from the warm water as they kissed lovingly, their touches quickly turning to passion.

They kissed until the water turned cold and didn't waste any time moving their activities to the bedroom. It had been too long. Jane had missed her wife. The taste of her lips, the touch of her hands, the feel of her skin… They made love for hours and hours into the night until both women fell asleep completely exhausted, limbs tangled together, bodies humming in pleasure, hearts filled with love.

"Mama! Mama!" Lizzie came bouncing into the bedroom way too early for a Saturday morning. "When am I gonna go to Rose?"

Jane grunted and turned around in bed, slowly opening her eyes. "Not now," she mumbled. "Sleep more."

"But we're gonna play, Mama!" Lizzie stood next to the bed and tried to open Jane's eyes with her fingers. "C'mon!"

"Liz, it's too early," Jane groaned and opened her eyes, smiling slightly at Lizzie's fingers that tried to peel them open.

"Come here, baby," Maura said while she slowly woke up. She lifted the blankets and invited Lizzie in between them, grateful that they decided to put on some clothes after last night.

Lizzie climbed up on the bed and snuggled in between her mothers. "When's we gonna go?" 

"Honey, it's only 7AM. Rose and her mommy are not up yet. Just sleep a little more, okay?" Maura's eyes had closed again and she draped her arm over Lizzie's stomach.

"But I'm too excited to sleep," Lizzie said, her voice a little quieter now.

Maura smiled with her eyes closed and started rubbing Lizzie's belly. "Just close your eyes, the sleep will come."

Lizzie sighed deeply and Jane chuckled at the sight of the girl's annoyed face. If only her mothers understood that when something exciting and fun is about to happen, it's impossible to sleep.

"If you sleep for a little longer," Jane whispered, "time goes faster and before you know it, it'll be time to go."

"Really?" Lizzie turned her head to look at her mother.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Lizzie nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm gonna sleep real hard." 

Jane chuckled and saw Maura smiling next to her. She closed her eyes and sighed contently after kissing Lizzie's temple. "Good. Sleep."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"I'm proud of you, Riley," Maura said with a smile as they walked away from the soccer field. "I think you did a great job. And that penalty!" 

"I missed, Mom."

"Well, yes… But… I though the effort was very good."

Riley chuckled and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Thanks."

Maura smiled at her oldest daughter who was wearing a pair of sweatpants and her stained soccer shirt. The doctor had been so happy to see that the team unanimously picked Riley for the penalty. And even though she missed it, the team cheered her on anyway. Maura couldn't have been more proud.

"We are going to pick up Lizzie first. Your Ma was called into work this afternoon." Maura pushed the button on her car key to open the car and Riley opened the back to throw her bag in.

"What happened?"

"A murder just outside the city." Maura stepped into the car and waited until Riley put on her seatbelt before starting the car and driving away.

Lizzie's classmate Rose didn't live far away and it only took them ten minutes to get to her house. Rose, her parents, two older brothers and one younger sister lived near the water, pretty much next to a canal. Her mother opened the door and Maura was surprised to see that the short, dark haired-woman was very pregnant.

"Hello," Maura stuck out her hand and shook the woman's hand. "I'm Maura Isles, I met your husband last week."

"Oh yes, nice to meet you. I'm Evelyn. Come on in." She smiled politely and opened the door further.

"This is my oldest daughter Riley," Maura said as they walked past Rose's mother.

Evelyn shook her hand and followed them to the living room that seemed awfully small for a family with almost five children. "Where are the girls?" Maura asked, seeing no sign of Lizzie or Rose.

"They are playing outside." Evelyn smiled and stepped towards the bottom of the stairs. "CARL!" she yelled. "Can you go get Rose?!"

"Why?"

"Because I say so!" 

Riley lifted her eyebrows at Maura and Maura chuckled. She squeezed Riley's arm and looked at the young boy that ran down the stairs.

"Where are they?"

"By the canal, probably."

"You uhm…" Maura shook her head and had trouble maintaining her polite smile. "You let them play by the water?"

"Well, yeah." Evelyn shrugged. "They play there all the time."

"But… Lizzie-… Lizzie can't swim very well."

"It's fine," Evelyn waved Maura's concerns away and turned around to guide Carl to hurry up. "They won't fall in."

"I should hope so," Maura whispered softly, her concern only growing.

She looked around the house and watched Evelyn walking into a small, dirty kitchen to turn the stove lower under whatever was cooking in a big pan. The house looked messy and every corner was filled with toys and other stuff. But Evelyn didn't seem like a bad person. She seemed nice, yet busy and overwhelmed. Four children, a working husband and another child on the way seemed to burden her.

"So, Rose and Lizzie seem to be getting along," Maura said, attempting to start a conversation. "Rose is welcome to come play at our house if she wants."

"Oh, that would be nice." Evelyn smiled and stirred the contents of the pan. "Lizzie's a sweet kid."

"Yes, she is." Maura smiled proudly, but her smile fell when she heard loud screams coming from outside.

"MOMMA!" A little girl walked in, looking absolutely panicked and deadly afraid. "LIZZIE FELL IN!" 

Maura felt her chest tightening and she ran outside, almost knocking Rose over as she passed her. "Lizzie! LIZZIE!" Maura yelled, running along the quay of the canal, looking for her little girl. "LIZZIE!"

Her heart dropped to her stomach and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her throat was closed up in fear as she ran towards the water, grateful that Riley made her wear flats today. She scanned the water and saw nothing. She cursed Evelyn for letting the children play here. Maura may have been an overprotective mother, but at least she wouldn't put her children in danger like this. Evelyn put her child in danger and she hated the woman.

She can't swim. She can float around, but she can barely swim. Maura could only think of how cold the water must be and how afraid her daughter must be. She could only feel the immense fear of losing her little girl and her legs buckled beneath her. "Lizzie!"

Maura yelled and yelled but she saw nothing. Her breath was coming in short gasps and with every step she took, her legs had more trouble keeping her up. She imagined Lizzie trying to keep her head above the water, struggling to breathe, desperately trying to remember how Jane taught her to swim. Tears were streaming down Maura's face and she was whimpering loudly. "LIZZIE!"

She looked up and saw Riley running across the street, calling her sister's name over and over again as she scanned the water. The water wasn't deep and the opposite quay wasn't far away, but for a scared, short six-year old, it could be deadly.

Deadly. "God," Maura whimpered. "No, no, no. Don't take her away from us."

"I called the police," Evelyn was panting as she waddled up to her. "They're on their way."

Maura's mind had some trouble interpreting that information, but she nodded after a moment. "They have to get here faster!"

Evelyn raised her hands. "I told them to be quick."

Maura felt anger burning in the pit of her stomach. White, hot, blind anger. "If you kept my daughter safe, this would've never happened!" Maura yelled, hot tears of anger trickling down her cheeks. "If you took care of her, like you're supposed to! If you told her to STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER!"

Evelyn was taken aback by Maura's anger, not expecting this kind of outburst coming from the composed, fashionable woman. "I-… I'm sorry, I-… thought…"

"You thought you could put my daughter in danger?!" Maura bit her lip and turned her attention back to the water, desperately searching for her little girl, ready to jump in the minute she'd see any sign of her blond curls.

"No! Rose plays here all the time!"

"I don't care about Rose! I care about my daughter, who is in here somewhere, fighting to stay alive!" Maura screamed, but she didn't look away from the water.

She suddenly felt two skinny arms wrapping around her waist and looked to her side to see her oldest daughter. "Mom," Riley whispered, looking up at Maura with shimmering eyes. "Calm down, okay?"

Maura nodded and let out a silent sob as she finally heard sirens coming from the end of the street. She wrapped her arms around Riley and watched Evelyn running to the police to explain what happened.

She felt Riley crying against her and turned her attention away from the police, back to the water. She rested her chin on top of Riley's head and pulled her close. "God, she must be so afraid," Maura whispered through her tears. She kept searching for any sign of life, a wrinkle in the water, a sound echoing in the streets… But there was nothing.

"Ma taught her how to swim, Mom," Riley said softly, her eyes focused on the canal, squinting slightly. "Maybe she can make her way back here. Or the other side."

Maura nodded and tried to smile, but she couldn't. She could only feel desperation and crippling fear. She felt like her heart was hanging on a tiny threat, ready to break and fall into a bottomless pit any moment. She wanted her little girl back in her arms. She wished she would have never let her play with Rose. She wished she would have suggested Rose played at their house. Where it was safe. Where the parents actually looked after their kids.

It took only a few minutes for a police boat to start searching the canal. Maura and Riley watched, wrapped up in a tight embrace, both holding their breaths in anticipation and fear. "I texted Ma to get here," Riley whispered.

Maura nodded. "Good."

She just wanted Lizzie. Her little daughter. Her little, blonde, cheerful and demanding girl. Her little girl who was currently fighting in ice cold, dark water. Maura whimpered and held on to her oldest daughter in her arms. She scanned the dark water over and over again but there was no sign of Lizzie.

She felt tempted to just jump in and search for the girl herself, but she knew that wouldn't do anyone any good. So she waited. She waited and watched as the police searched the water. She watched an ambulance arriving. She tried to suppress the anger in her stomach. She would never forgive this woman for letting Lizzie play by the water. She would never, ever forgive her. Maura wasn't an angry or hateful person, but when someone got her daughters in danger, it was over. There was no sympathy left. Evelyn should have watched them. That's it. She failed. She failed and now Maura was losing her daughter.

She covered her mouth with her hand and felt Riley shaking against her. "My love…" Maura whispered to both Riley and Lizzie who couldn't hear her. "Oh my love…"

Riley pulled away from Maura's chest to look at her mother, tears of fear in her blue eyes. Maura sniffled and cupped Riley's face to press a kiss to her forehead. There were no words left in her mind. There was only fear.

"MAURA!" Jane's husky scream pulled Maura out of her thoughts and Maura let Riley go to fall into Jane's arms.

"Li-… Lizzie," Maura cried. "It's Lizzie…" 

"I know, I know." Jane's voice shook but she sounded comforting. "They're working on it. They're looking for her. She'll pull through."

Maura pulled away and looked at her wife. "She's only six, Jane. She can barely swim."

Jane nodded and bit her lip, trying to hold herself together. She reached out one arm and invited Riley into their embrace, who eagerly grounded herself in the familiar warmth of her mothers.

After a few moments of silent cries, a police officer called out from a few yards away. "They got something!"

Maura broke the embrace and took off, running towards the source of the sound, Jane and Riley following closely. Maura ran as quickly as her buckling legs could carry her, tears streaming down her face. "Please let it be her," Maura panted while she ran. "Please, please, Lizzie. My Lizzie."

Jane saw it first. "LIZ!"

Maura almost fell to her knees as she saw a policeman in a wetsuit lifting a small blond girl out of the water. She stumbled towards the water and held out her arms for the little girl, her tears pouring down when she saw that Lizzie was still breathing.

"Lizzie!" Maura cried as she took the shaking girl in her arms. Lizzie felt her mother and hiccupped as she coughed up water before she started crying. Loud cries of fear and pain. Shrieking screams of pure fear.

"Oh, my sweet girl," Maura cried as she dropped to her knees and held her daughter in her arms, feeling Jane and Riley kneeling behind her. The cold water from Lizzie's clothes was soaking her designer blouse and pants but she didn't even feel it. All she felt was her shaking daughter. Her beautiful daughter that was breathing, alive, crying in her arms.

Jane placed what seemed like hundreds of kisses on Lizzie's head as she finally allowed her tears to fall, whispering quiet words of love and comfort. "It's okay, baby. You're okay. We're here."

Lizzie was shaking violently and Maura felt an EMT draping a blanket over them, which Maura adjusted to wrap it tightly around Lizzie. She took Lizzie and the blanket in her arms, carrying her like a baby in her arms as she walked on weak legs to the ambulance, knowing that Lizzie needed to be examined.

Jane had to hold her up. Maura felt her wife's strong arms around her waist as she was helping her to walk. In the ambulance, Lizzie refused to let her mother go. Her small fingers were blue and cramped as they clutched Maura's neck and blouse. The doctor examined her but Maura already had concluded that Lizzie was alright, except for the fact that hypothermia was getting dangerously close.

The doctor tried to take Lizzie's temperature but Lizzie refused. "No," the girl cried. "NO! Stop it!"

Maura shook her head at the doctor and motioned him to leave them alone. "She's in panic. I'm a doctor."

"Can you give us a few minutes?" Jane asked the doctor, taking Riley's hand as they climbed into the ambulance. "My wife's the Chief Medical Examiner. She'll examine Lizzie."

The EMT nodded and closed the doors, leaving the ambulance silent except for Lizzie's heartbreaking cries. Maura took a deep breath to calm herself down and peeled Lizzie off of her so she could undress her. She looked up at Jane and pursed her lips, asking her for a quick kiss.

Jane pecked Maura's lips and brushed her cheek for a moment. "Let's get her out of those wet clothes."

Maura nodded and pulled Lizzie's shirt over her head, causing the girl's body to shake harder and harder. Maura winced at the sight and quickly pulled down Lizzie's soaked jeans and underwear after Jane took off her shoes. Lizzie was shaking uncontrollably and her lips had turned blue.

"There should be thermal blankets in here," Maura said softly. "I did a rotation on an ambulance once, they should be up there somewhere."

Jane started searching for them as Maura pulled off her wet blouse and pulled Lizzie against her hopefully warm chest, shivering when the girl's ice cold skin touched hers. She rested her chin on top of Lizzie's wet curls and smiled a sad smile at Riley who was looking at them with tears trickling down her cheeks.

Maura reached out her hand and took Riley's. "She's okay, honey," she whispered softly. "She's okay."

Riley nodded and wiped her cheeks before sliding down against one of the cabinets, sitting on the floor of the ambulance.

"Got it." Jane pulled the blankets out and draped them across Lizzie who was still shaking.

Maura's arms were wrapped securely around the shaking little girl. She made sure to keep Lizzie's cold skin against her own that was slowly losing its warmth, but the thermal blankets seemed to be doing their work.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until the door opened again. "I'm sorry, we have to get going if she's stable."

Maura nodded. "She's stable."

"You can take those blankets." The EMT stepped into the ambulance and placed his hand on Lizzie's back to feel her body temperature. "She'll be fine once she's warmed up. Get her in a warm bath or shower when she's home, but not-…."

"Not too warm. Start cold, then slowly warm it up," Maura interrupted him as she stood up, very aware of the fact that she took off her blouse. She held Lizzie against her upper body to make sure the EMT didn't see her in just a bra. "I know."

He nodded. "Okay."

Maura hesitated and smiled when she saw Riley pulling her soccer shirt over her head, leaving her in a dark blue top. "Here," she said softly, throwing the shirt to Maura. "It's a bit stinky maybe, but it's warm."

Maura gratefully took the shirt from Riley and handed Lizzie to Jane before she pulled the soccer shirt over her head. It was a bit too small, but it was something. They thanked the police officers and doctors before they left, but Maura couldn't bring herself to talk to Evelyn. She cringed when she saw the woman walking up to them.

"Mrs. Isles, I'm so-…"

" _Doctor_ Isles."

"What?" 

"It's Doctor Isles."

"Oh… Well… I'm uhm…" Evelyn shook her head and glanced at Rose and Carl who were standing in front of the house, their eyes wide in fear. "I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"Listen, I had no idea-…." 

"You had no idea how to take care of my child." Maura felt tears of anger in her eyes. She knew she was being too hard on this woman, but she couldn't help it. She almost lost her daughter today. "I never want any of my children to come close to you ever again."

Evelyn had tears in her eyes, but Maura couldn't stop. Her anger surprised even herself.

"I really am sorry."

Maura just shook her head and felt Jane standing behind her. "C'mon, Maur," Jane whispered huskily.

Maura looked away from the woman and followed Jane and Riley towards the car. "Are you okay to drive?" Jane asked softly, still carrying Lizzie in her arms.

Maura nodded. Jane got in the backseat and Riley quickly got her sweater out of her bag in the back of the car before sitting in the passenger seat next to Maura. Maura drove as quickly as possible, spurred on by the sound of Lizzie's soft whimpers coming from the backseat.

She was okay. She survived. She fought her way through. She didn't stop swimming and she made it back to her mothers. Maura finally felt the relief washing over her and noticed how her body started to calm down. The anger faded and love replaced it. She felt her muscles relaxing and she felt how her heart stopped racing. Lizzie was okay. She made it.

Back home, Maura ran upstairs to start running the water in the bathtub, making sure it wasn't too warm. She heard Jane walking into the bathroom and took Lizzie from her arms.

"Mommy," Lizzie whimpered.

"Yes, baby. We're going to get you warmed up, okay?" Maura slowly tried to lower Lizzie into the tub, but Lizzie started screaming.

"NO!" She kicked her legs and fought herself away from the bathtub. "Not in the water! STOP!"

"Honey, it's just a bath," Jane said softly, hoping to soothe the panicking girl. "You need to get warm, okay?" 

"No! I don't wanna go in the water!" Lizzie's voice was hoarse as she screamed in fear. "NO! NO!"

Maura didn't have the strength to hold the squirming six-year old and felt Jane taking her from her arms. "It's not the cold water, baby. It's just the bath, remember? It's not gonna hurt you."

"No!" Lizzie cried into the crook of Jane's neck and refused to come close to the surface of the water in the tub.

Maura sighed and closed her eyes at the knowledge that Lizzie was possible severely traumatized today. She shook her head and decided to worry about that later. "Shower," she said softly, stepping towards the shower and turning on the water. "Jane, take off your clothes."

"What?"

"She can't be in there alone," Maura said softly as she tested the temperature of the water with her arm. "And I don't have the strength to keep her up. Please."

Jane nodded and handed a crying Lizzie to Maura before she quickly took off her clothes until she was in a bra and panties. She took Lizzie back in her arms and stepped under the almost warm water. Jane hissed from how cold it was, but it was perfect for Lizzie's way too cold skin.

"Turn up the temperate when you feel her getting warmer," Maura said softly as she leaned against the wall.

Jane nodded. Lizzie was shaking in her arms, but she calmed down after a few minutes. "You scared us today, peanut," Jane whispered.

"Sorry." Lizzie's lips were getting pink again and Maura reached out her hand to stroke Lizzie's back, happy to feel slightly warmer skin again.

"What happened?"

Lizzie shrugged and leaned her head against Jane's chest in exhaustion. "We were playing with the balls and I ran after it and I fell," Lizzie explained softly, her voice hoarse and weak.

"You must've been so scared, my love," Maura whispered. "You were very brave today."

"It was so cold," Lizzie's bottom lip quivered and she wrapped one of her arms around Jane's neck, trying to warm herself to her mother's warm skin.

Jane turned up the temperature of the shower and held Lizzie tightly in her arms. "You did a great job today, baby. You're a very good swimmer."

Lizzie nodded and Maura was immensely happy to see a small smile curling her lips. "Mama taught me. I kicked the water and pushes it away with my arms."

"Very good." Maura smiled and stroked Lizzie's bare back, her skin getting warmer every moment. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

They stayed silent for a few minutes while Jane kept the warm water on Lizzie's back, waiting until the girl was fully warmed up.

"Mom?" Riley walked into the bathroom, holding a pile of clothes. "I found Lizzie's warmest sweater and socks and some leggings and pajama pants, I don't know-…"

"Thank you." Maura smiled a grateful smile and kissed Riley's forehead before she took he clothes from her daughter. "Can you get us a towel, please?"

Riley nodded, happy to be able to help in any way. She came back with a big white towel and Maura took it from her, opening her arms to take Lizzie into the towel. She dried her off and Jane helped her getting dressed into the warmest clothes possible.

They hardly spoke as they completed the process and walked towards their bedroom where Maura quickly changed into a clean pair of pajamas after Jane took off her wet underwear and put on a baggy T-shirt and sweatpants. They took Lizzie in between them in bed and it only took a few minutes for Riley to join them.

Maura smiled and pressed her lips against Lizzie's temple, feeling warmth and life on her daughter's skin. She was okay. Her family was complete again. They were all here. And even though it wasn't even dinnertime yet, all of them fell asleep in a few minutes.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Jane looked at her sleeping daughter as she carefully caressed the girl's finally warm cheek. She swallowed hard and relished in the way Lizzie's chest rose and fell with each breath she took. They almost lost her today.

 **Riley: Liz fell in the water and we can't find her. Come quick.**

The text played over and over in Jane's mind. She had let everything fall from her hands and followed the directions Riley texted her a few seconds later. She had never seen Maura so angry. She had never been so afraid. She had never been so relieved when she saw Lizzie coming out of the water.

Jane lowered her hand to Lizzie's chest, feeling her breaths under her fingers. The girl was wearing a shirt and a warm, knitted sweater. Jane had tied a scarf around her neck and she had on leggings and sweatpants and a pair of warm socks. Jane felt Lizzie's fingers and they were still cold.

She noticed that Riley and Maura were gone and concluded they must have gone downstairs to get something to eat. Jane continued lying awake for a while until she felt Lizzie stirring. The girl slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Jane. "Hey, baby," Jane whispered as she stroked Lizzie's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Lizzie shrugged. "My legs hurt." She shifted closer to Jane and snuggled into her mother's open arms. "And tired."

Jane nodded and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "I was really scared I lost you today, sweet girl," she whispered.

"I was really scared too," Lizzie answered softly. "It was all dark and cold everywhere."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and brushed some hair out of Lizzie's face. "I know, baby. You're so strong that you kept going. I'm really, really proud of you."

"I remembered you tells me how to swim."

Jane smiled and felt tears burning in her eyes as she thought about how she saved Lizzie's life in a way. "You did a very good job."

Lizzie nodded weakly and shivered lightly. Jane pulled her sweater out of the girl's sweatpants and placed her warm hands on the cold skin of Lizzie's back. Goose bumps formed on her skin as she snuggled into her mother and Jane knew that was a good sign.

"Mommy was mad," Lizzie whispered into Jane's chest.

Jane sighed. Neither of the girls had ever seen Maura so angry and out of control. Yes, she was strict with them and had to be upset with them sometimes, but never the kind of blind anger she showed today. Jane knew Maura had it in her because she knew Maura better than anyone. But the girls had no idea. "She wasn't mad at you, honey. She was mad at Rose's mother for letting you play by the water."

"Rose says she could."

"It's not any of your fault, baby. Rose's mommy should've looked after you." Jane felt angry, but she was able to contain herself. She knew getting angry wouldn't help anyone. What's done is done. Anger wouldn't make Lizzie, or anyone feel better.

"I don't wanna play at Rose anymore." Lizzie's voice was small and weak and Jane swallowed her tears at the sound of it.

"You don't have to," Jane whispered back as she kissed the top of Lizzie's head, tightening her arms around her daughter as she gently rubbed the cold skin on her back. "Are you feeling warmer?"

Lizzie nodded.

"Good."

After a few moments of silence, the bedroom door opened and Maura entered, carrying a tray with two bowls of soup and a few slices of bread. She smiled when she saw that both Jane and Lizzie were awake. "Hi, my loves," she said softly as she sat on the edge of the bed next to Jane. "You should eat something."

Jane nodded and sat up, sighing when Lizzie groaned at the loss of contact with Jane's warm arms. Jane pulled Lizzie up to sit next to her and carefully handed her one of the bowls.

"Grandma made it. It's chicken, your favorite." Maura brushed some messy curls out of Lizzie's face and handed her a spoon. "Be careful, it's still hot."

"Ma made soup?" Jane asked, raising her eyebrows.

Maura nodded. "I called her. She was frantic, of course, and insisted on cooking for us."

Jane smiled. "That's sweet."

"She is." Maura kissed Jane's temple. "She was surprisingly understanding when I told her Lizzie needed some time to rest. She came up for a few kisses while you were sleeping."

Jane sighed deeply and leaned into Maura's side, allowing her wife to kiss her temple. "You should eat too, Jane," Maura whispered as she traced Jane's cheek with her fingers.

She took the bowl from her wife and slowly sipped the hot liquid while both women watched Lizzie doing the same. Maura nuzzled her nose into Jane's curls and took a deep breath. "She's okay," she whispered softly.

Jane nodded and took a slice of bread from the tray on Maura's knees before dipping it in the soup. "You think she's ever gonna be fine around water again?" Jane whispered as quietly as possible, thinking about Lizzie's outburst when they tried to get her into the bathtub.

Maura sighed and looked at Lizzie who was nibbling on a piece of bread. "I don't know. There's a possibility she's been severely traumatized today."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

Maura nodded and rested her head on Jane's shoulder. "Another traumatizing memory," she whispered with tears in her voice. "She's only six."

Jane looked at their youngest daughter and saw what seemed a normal six-year old girl, but she knew better. Lizzie had faced horrors no child should have to face. There was a kind of sadness in her light brown eyes that shouldn't be there. She carried too much pain and fear.

"My tummy's full," Lizzie said as she dropped her spoon in her almost empty bowl.

Maura looked into the bowl and concluded that she had eaten enough. "Good girl." She took the bowl and placed in on the nightstand next to her and Jane. "Come here, sweetheart." She opened her arms and helped Lizzie climbing over Jane, into her lap.

Jane rested the back of her head against the headboard and stroked Lizzie's cheek with the back of her hand as she watched her wife wrapping Lizzie up in her arms.

"I'm sorry I was so angry today," Maura whispered, resting her forehead against Lizzie's temple. "Mommy was just scared."

"Why?" Lizzie's eyes started to close at the familiar warmth of her mother.

"Because I thought I lost you, baby girl." Maura swallowed hard and rubbed Lizzie's back. "I was afraid I'd never see you again and hold you in my arms."

Lizzie pulled one of her arms away underneath the embrace and wrapped it around Maura's neck. She nodded slowly, indicating that she understood what Maura meant.

"I love you so much, my sweet girl," Maura whispered as she pulled her daughter impossibly closer. "Mama and I love you so much."

"You's not mad at me?" Lizzie asked carefully.

"Oh, no my love." Maura shook her head and kissed Lizzie's curls.

Jane rubbed Lizzie's back and rested her cheek against Maura's temple. "You didn't do anything wrong, Liz."

"I played at the water…"

"It was an accident, it's not your fault." Jane cupped Lizzie's cheek and looked into fearful brown eyes. "It's not your fault, baby."

Lizzie nodded and Jane was happy to see she seemed convinced. "Where's Riley?" Jane asked softly.

"Downstairs, doing her homework." Maura looked up at Jane and pursed her lips.

Jane smiled and pressed her lips against Maura's soft ones, capturing them in a loving kiss. "I'm gonna check on her." 

"Please." Maura pecked Jane's lips again and stroked her cheek for a moment. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Jane kissed Lizzie's cheek and stood up from the bed, walking downstairs to see Riley sitting at the dinner table, staring at her books. "Hey, baby," Jane greeted her while she pulled up a chair to sit next to her daughter. "How are you feeling?"

Riley shrugged and fumbled with her pencil. "Fine, I guess." 

"That means you're not really fine." Jane tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear and stroked her cheek. "You must've been so scared today."

Riley nodded. "I couldn't find her," she replied softly. "It's light out but the water was so dark and I… I couldn't find her." She looked up at Jane as she rested her head on her hand. "I thought she was gone." 

Jane sighed deeply. "We were all afraid we were gonna lose her."

"I… I started thinking about life without Lizzie and it… it just doesn't make sense, y'know?" Riley smiled a sad smile and turned her attention back to the pencil in her hand.

"Thank God we don't have to experience that."

"We'd be a mess without her." Riley's voice had turned to a soft whisper as she stared at her hands on the table. "Mom was so angry… I never knew she could get so angry. She completely broke apart and I think that's what'll happen if one of us is gone…"

Jane smiled a sad smile. She knew Riley was right. Maura would be an absolute mess without any of them. But so would Jane. "We'd all be a mess without one of each other."

Riley nodded and took a deep, shaky breath. Jane could tell she was desperately trying to hold back her tears and be strong. Her bottom lip was quivering and she kept lightly shaking her head to pull herself together. Jane reached out her arm and stroked Riley's cheek with the back of her hand. "You've had a big shock today too, baby," she said softly.

"Yeah."

Jane smiled and caressed Riley's hair. "It's okay to cry. You don't need to be brave all the time."

Riley shook her head but Jane saw thick tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm okay."

"You're not."

Riley looked back up at her mother and lightly shook her head. "No," she whispered.

Jane smiled lovingly and gently grabbed Riley's arm. "Come here." She pulled Riley up from her chair and wrapped her arms around her daughter to take the girl into her lap. Riley was short and skinny and immediately curled up into Jane's arms, fitting perfectly in her mother's lap.

Jane rubbed Riley's back and kissed the top of her head. "Cry, honey. It's okay. You don't have to be strong all the time. It's okay to break."

Riley sniffled as her tears finally began to fall. She tucked up her legs and curled into Jane's front while the cries slowly increased.

"You almost lost your sister," Jane whispered. "You were very brave today."

Riley just nodded and sobbed quietly into Jane's shoulder, her skinny arms wrapping around Jane's neck. "I was so scared, Ma…"

"I know, honey. I know."

"You think she's always gonna be afraid of water?" Riley asked, her voice high-pitched and laced with tears. "Like… she'll never want to swim again?"

Jane sighed. "I don't know, sweetie. Maybe. But we'll help her."

"She loved the pool so much," Riley whispered.

Jane smiled when she thought about their day at the pool not long ago. Lizzie had the time of her life, jumping in the water, playing with her sister and parents, swimming around with Jane… It would take a lot for Lizzie to enjoy it like that again.

Jane sighed deeply and kissed the top of Riley's head as she gently rocked them from side to side, feeling Riley's exhaustion and pain. Breaking up with Alex took its toll and the events of today totally exhausted the teenager.

"Alex texted today," Riley said after a long moment of silence, her cries slowing down.

"He did?" Jane smiled and looked down at her daughter's head on her shoulder. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to hear about the game. Wished me good luck and told me to tell him the score afterwards."

"Oh, that's sweet."

Riley nodded and seemed genuinely happy with the text. "I'm just happy that he doesn't ignore me after what I said."

"Of course he wouldn't. He'd be stupid if he ignored a fantastic girl like you."

Riley huffed and snuggled into Jane's strong arms. "After today… I don't even really care that much," she whispered.

"How come?"

Riley shrugged. "It sucks and I felt really terrible but when I thought Lizzie was gonna die…"

Jane flinched at the word 'die' and unconsciously pulled her daughter closer.

Riley took a deep breath before she continued. "It didn't seem to matter as much. Yesterday, I thought the worst thing in the world happened 'cause I had to break up with him but now I…" Riley shook her head as fresh tears started trickling down her cheeks. "We almost lost Lizzie today."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and smoothed Riley's hair on her back. She felt tears burning in her eyes and tried to hold them back, but she failed. She stared crying softly as she kissed Riley's head and pulled her impossibly closer. They almost lost Lizzie today. "But we didn't," Jane whispered through her tears, her soft cries startling Riley who lifted her head to look up at her mother.

Jane smiled as her tears trickled down her cheeks and cupped Riley's cheek with her left hand. "We didn't lose her. She's okay."

Riley buried herself back into her mother's arms as they cried softly for a long time. Jane held her oldest daughter, but felt the urge to go back upstairs. Just to see that Lizzie was okay. Just to remind herself that everything was fine.

Jane kissed Riley's temple. "You should shower," she said with a smile. "You smell like a soccer-field and a girls locker-room."

Riley giggled and wiped her cheeks. "Girls locker-rooms smell like a flowers and a hundred different kind of perfumes and deodorants."

Jane smiled at her daughter's giggle. "I didn't say it smelled bad."

"Yeah right." Riley chuckled and untangled herself from her mother before standing up from her lap and stretching her aching muscles.

"Riley," Jane said softly, looking up at her oldest daughter. "You did good today." 

Riley smiled. "Thanks."

Jane watched Riley walking upstairs and felt love warming her heart. The girl had been incredibly strong today. She faced a crisis and acted rationally. She managed to calm Maura down and stay strong through all of it. She had grown so much.

She took a deep breath and walked back upstairs towards their bedroom, where she saw her wife sitting up against the headboard with what looked like a pile of blankets and clothes, but she knew it was Lizzie. Maura arms were tucked under the blankets and Lizzie's sweater, warming the girl's skin like Jane did earlier. Her chin rested on top of messy blonde curls and Jane smiled when she heard a soft snore coming from Maura's chest.

"Hey," Jane whispered while she carefully sat next to her wife.

Maura smiled a tired smile and captured her wife's lips in a loving kiss. She took a deep breath and looked down at Lizzie. "I completely lost it today," she whispered. "I was so angry at that poor woman." 

"You mean the woman that failed to look after our daughter?"

Maura sighed and shook her head. "I know, I know. But I was irrational with her. I was too hard on her and I upset her."

"You had every right to be irrational. If I'd been there, I don't know if she'd have survived."

Maura chuckled softly and tugged on Jane's hand to motion her to get closer. She rested her head on Jane's shoulder before putting her arm back under Lizzie's sweater. "Still. I'd like to apologize to her." 

"Why?" 

Maura shrugged. "I upset her. Yes, she was wrong for leaving the kids like that but she didn't deserve to be treated like I treated her."

Jane sighed deeply and kissed Maura's temple. "You're too good for this world."

"Maybe." Maura smiled and closed her eyes as Jane's head rested on top of hers. "But I'll still apologize."

"Of course."

"Not right now though," Maura whispered as she looked at the sleeping girl in her arms. "Right now I just want to hold our beautiful daughter in my arms for as long as possible."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Hey, baby." Maura greeted her youngest daughter with a smile as she looked up from her laptop on her desk. "How was school?" 

"Good." Lizzie walked up to Maura and allowed her mother to pull her into her lap.

It was Monday and two days after the accident, but Jane and Maura decided it would be good for Lizzie to go to school and pick up life as normally as possible. However, taking a look at her exhausted daughter, Maura doubted if they had made a mistake. Lizzie looked pale and absolutely drained. "How are you feeling?" Maura placed her hand on Lizzie's forehead and gently brushed her hair back.

Lizzie shrugged. "My head hurts a little."

"Hm. You're quite tired." Maura kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "Where's Mama?"

"Downstairs. She says she's gonna go back to work."

"Oh, yes." The murder from that Saturday wasn't solved yet and Jane and the team were working on it full time. "Did you at least tell her to come up here for a kiss?" Maura asked with a playful tickle to her daughter's stomach.

Lizzie smiled. "No."

"She doesn't have to." Jane stood in the doorway and walked up to her wife's desk. She placed her hands on it and leaned forward to capture Maura's lips in a sweet kiss that lingered for a few moments and made the blonde's head spin.

Maura hummed as Jane broke the kiss and smiled up at her beautiful wife. "How's the case?"

Jane sighed. "Unless you can give us some DNA results from the victim's finger nails, not so good."

"The lab is working on it." Maura pointed at her laptop screen with her free hand. "I'm waiting for the results. But I have two other autopsy reports left to review and I have to prepare for a trial." Maura rubbed her forehead and stroked Lizzie's back with her other hand. "When all I want to do it spend the afternoon with my girls," she added in a soft whisper.

Jane sighed and nodded. "I know. We will as soon as we catch this bastard."

"Jane." Maura tilted her head but couldn't contain a smile at the sight of her wife's adorable smirk.

Jane pecked Maura's lips again and ruffled Lizzie's curls. "Alright, I gotta go back. Riley's at Sarah's doing homework, has to be back before dinner. I'll try to make it home before bedtime, okay?" 

Maura nodded and heard Lizzie saying a soft goodbye before Jane exited the room. "Baby, I really have to work," Maura said softly as she kissed the top of Lizzie's head.

Lizzie groaned and buried herself back in Maura's chest. "I'm so tired, Mommy."

Maura sighed. "I know, my love. Your body had a lot to take."

Lizzie just nodded.

"Why don't you go take a nap, baby? I'll wake you before dinner."

Lizzie shook her head. "I wanna stay with you."

Maura smiled at her daughter's words and pulled her close. She wanted nothing more than to spend the afternoon with her little girl in her arms, especially after last weekend. Lizzie had spent most of the Sunday altering between crying and sleeping, still caught up in the fear of almost drowning. It wasn't until after dinner that Jane managed to get a smile on the girl's face by playing with her toys.

"Mommy really has to work, love." Maura sighed in disappointment. She looked up around her office and her gaze fell on the couch in the right corner. "I have an idea."

She lifted Lizzie up in her arms and placed her on the couch before getting her laptop from her desk, along with a closed file. She sat next to her daughter and pulled Lizzie's head down in her lap as she brushed her hand through her messy curls. "Better?"

Lizzie nodded and snuggled into her mother's warmth.

"Try to sleep, sweetheart." Maura put her laptop on her knees and opened up her work along with the file next to her on the couch.

It only took about fifteen minutes before the girl was fast asleep, soothed by her mother's love and the regular sound of Maura's typing and the soft buzzing of her computer. Maura was able to work for two hours straight, but still hadn't finished the insane amount of work that was piling up. She rubbed her forehead and looked at her watch to see she had to get started on making her daughters something to eat.

She closed her laptop and carefully put it next to her before combing her hand through Lizzie's hair. "Time to wake up, baby," she said softly. She shook Lizzie's shoulder and pulled her up into her arms as the girl slowly woke up.

Lizzie took a deep, sleepy breath and hid in Maura's chest. Maura pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead and felt an alarming amount of heat radiating from the girl. "Baby, you're burning up!" Maura cupped Lizzie's face and looked into watery brown eyes. She must have caught a cold, which was not surprising.

"My head hurts, Mommy," Lizzie's voice was hoarse and sleepy and she looked up at her mother with adorable puppy-like eyes, causing Maura to completely fall for the little girl all over again.

"I know, honey. You have a fever." She lifted the girl in her arms and felt her warm head resting in the crook of her neck. "Let's find something to make it better."

She found some children's Advil in the cabinet in the kitchen and offered it to Lizzie as she sat her on top of the kitchen counter. She was sniffling and had lost her energy completely. Maura tried to cheer her up while she was preparing dinner, but it didn't work like she hoped it would.

She baked a few pieces of chicken, cooked up some green beans and prepared a few potatoes, all the while chatting with Lizzie about her day in school. Writing and reading was still difficult, but she was learning. Her teacher was very positive about Lizzie's results and Maura was proud of her. Every day she tried her best and that's all Maura would ever ask of her.

By the time dinner was finished, it was already past 7PM and therefore past Riley's curfew for that night. She texted Riley to ask where she was, but she didn't answer.

Maura sighed and decided to get started, eating dinner with just her and Lizzie. The meal seemed to be doing Lizzie some good and she had a little more color on her cheeks by the end of it.

"Time for bed, love." Maura smiled and took Lizzie's hand after she closed the dishwasher.

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" Lizzie asked, following her mother up the stairs.

"Let's just see how well you sleep tonight and how you feel tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay."

Lizzie's bedtime routine was easy and quick, and she fell asleep before Maura could even finish half of the story she was reading. She smiled and placed a few kisses on Lizzie's head before walking downstairs.

Still no sign of Riley. Maura had called two times during dinner, but she got a voicemail both times. She called again, but no one picked up.

"Riley," Maura said to her daughter's voicemail, "you had to be home over two hours ago. Where are you? Please give me a call or come home as soon as possible. I'm worried about you."

She locked her phone and sighed deeply. This wasn't like Riley. She always let her mothers know where she were at all times. Maura started pacing through the room and contemplated whether or not she should call Jane, but eventually decided against it. Riley probably lost track of time. She told them they had plans to go to the mall. Maybe she got caught up in the activities with her friends. If she wasn't home within in an hour, then Maura would call Jane.

After thirty minutes, the front door opened and Maura sighed in relief when she saw her oldest daughter entering the living room. "Where have you been?" Maura asked a little too harsh.

Riley shrugged and avoided eye contact. "Mall."

"You are two and a half hours late!" Maura placed her hands on her hips as she raised her voice. "I was worried sick! Why didn't you call?" 

"I forgot." Riley shrugged and threw her bag on the couch.

"You forgot?" Maura tilted her head and felt anger burning in her stomach. "You know very well that you have to let us know when you are late, young lady."

Riley rolled her eyes, something that truly pissed Maura off. "Jeez, Mom. We were just at the mall. It's not like I was out in a nightclub or something."

"That's not the point, and you know it!" Maura pointed at her daughter and hated to see that her anger didn't seem to have any effect on Riley. "I said you had to be home before dinner, and you know perfectly well that that is six PM." 

"Who the hell has dinner at six anyway?" Riley asked, challengingly crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Sarah doesn't have to be home by six."

Maura dropped her hands to her side and felt a sting of hurt in her chest. "I don't care about the rules in Sarah's house. I care about the rules in our house and you broke them."

Riley groaned and threw her head back in frustration. "So what, you're gonna ground me or something?"

Maura sighed. She wasn't familiar with these things. Was she supposed to ground her? Was she supposed to punish her in another way? She didn't know. This was so unlike her daughter. "Watch your tone with me, Riley."

Riley huffed and took off her jacket before grabbing her bag from the couch. "I'm gonna go upstairs."

"I'm not finished with you!"

Riley turned around and Maura saw anger burning in her blue eyes. "But I am with you!"

Maura was too shocked to reply. She watched her daughter running up the stairs and closed her eyes as she felt tears burning in them. This wasn't like Riley. Maura let herself fall on the couch and rested her head against the back of in in exhaustion.

She allowed herself to just sit on the couch for a few minutes until the front door opened and an equally exhausted Jane walked into the room. "Hey," she said huskily.

Maura smiled a tired a tired smile. "Hi."

Jane took off her jacket and sat next to her wife on the couch. Maura immediately leaned into Jane's side, resting her head on Jane's shoulder as she snuggled into strong arms. "What's going on?" Jane asked softly.

Maura sighed deeply. "Lizzie is sick, I think she's coming down with a very bad cold. She had a fever this afternoon, but it dropped after dinner."

Jane hummed and pressed her lips against Maura's temple.

"And Riley…" Maura shook her head and tried to get rid of the tears that welled up in her eyes. "She got home two hours after her curfew and she… she was rude with me and I got upset with her."

"Two hours?" 

Maura nodded. "I was worried sick."

"You had every right to be upset with her, then."

"Yes, but she," Maura sighed and lifted her head to look up at Jane. "She yelled at me. Like a real, unruly teenager." Maura shook her head and groaned as a tear made its way down her cheek. "It's not like her at all."

"She's stressed," Jane said softly, startled by how much this affected her wife.

Maura nodded and hid her face into the crook of Jane's neck as the brunette's arms wrapped around her upper body. Maura gently pulled up Jane's shirt and rested her hand on the skin of Jane's abdomen, feeling her muscles flexing and relaxing, relishing in the feeling of her wife's skin. "I'm exhausted," Maura whispered.

"Me too." Jane sighed deeply and lowered her head to kiss the skin of Maura's neck and shoulder. "I'd say we'd go to bed but I don't think it's good to leave it like this with Riley." 

Maura shook her head. She knew they had to talk to her, but she needed a little more time.

"Mom…" Riley's soft whisper pulled Maura away from Jane and she looked up to see Riley standing behind the couch, her cheeks wet with tears.

Maura swallowed, waiting for Riley to start the conversation.

Riley shook her head and her bottom lip quivered. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Maura nodded, but a large lump in her throat made it impossible to reply. Riley looked so broken. So small, so vulnerable. She patted the spot next to her on the couch and waited for Riley to sit down.

"I lost track of time," Riley said softly as she tucked one of her legs underneath her. "We were with a bunch of kids from school and I had no idea it was so late."

"You should've called, Riley." Jane's voice was soft and loving, noticing how fragile Riley was in this moment.

"I know," Riley nodded and fresh tears sprung to her eyes. "I'm sorry." 

Maura took Riley's hand and squeezed softly. "Thank you for apologizing."

"I'm sorry for getting so mad," Riley whispered as she looked down at the floor. "I didn't mean to I just… I…" she looked up at Maura with tears trickling down her cheeks. "I stopped being grateful. I-… I stopped being grateful for you guys." 

Maura smiled a sad smile and rubbed Riley's knuckles with her thumb. "What do you mean?"

"I stopped realizing how you and Ma practically saved my life!" Riley shook her head and let out a quiet sob. "If it weren't for you guys, I… He would've come pretty close to killing me or I'd still be in the foster system getting kicked out of awful places and… you saved me from all that and I just…" Riley took a deep breath and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. "I didn't even realize that anymore and I just got annoyed that I have to be home by six while I should be grateful to even have a home to get to."

Tears fell down Maura's cheeks as she listened to her daughter's words. She had no idea Riley still felt like this. For them, Riley was their daughter and that was it. It was natural, how it's supposed to be and how it would always be. But Riley knew what they saved her from. Riley knew what she left behind before she got adopted by her mothers. Neither Maura nor Jane would ever take their daughters for granted, and now they knew that Riley would never, ever take her mothers for granted.

Maura knew she should be strict with her daughter but she couldn't help herself and wrapped her arms around the crying teenager. She kissed Riley's head over and over again and pulled her close to her chest.

"Baby," Jane said softly as she brushed some hair out of Riley's face. "The fact that you forgot all that for a moment… Is that really a bad thing?"

Riley nodded and choked on her tears. "Yeah! Look how I treated Mom!"

"Well yeah, that was bad. And you were way too late. That's bad too. But," Jane smiled and squeezed Riley's leg. "For a moment, you forgot all about your past and you acted like an unruly, demanding, stupid teenager." She chuckled slightly. "You forgot about your previous foster homes and you forgot about _him_ , and you acted out. Because that's what teenagers do."

Riley nodded and showed a small smile. "I'm still sorry."

"You should be, because what you did was wrong," Jane answered. "But at the same time, it was kinda right. Y'know?"

Riley laughed and wiped her cheeks, her head still resting against Maura's chest as she looked up at Jane. "Yeah."

Maura smiled at her wife and pressed her lips against the corner of Jane's mouth. Jane was right. She was right about every part. And Maura was grateful for it. Jane was the voice of reason, the logical and rational one in this moment, which was exactly what they all needed.

Riley sighed deeply and lifted her head to look up at Maura. "I love you, Mom."

"Oh I love you too, baby girl." Maura couldn't hold back her tears any longer and pulled Riley back to their original position. "I love you too."

Riley chuckled softly at Maura's affection and Maura knew she was rolling her eyes at Jane. "You too, Ma," she whispered to her other mother.

Jane smiled and wiped the last of Riley's tears. "I love you too, baby."

They stayed silent for a while until Maura head Riley suppressing a yawn. "You should sleep, honey," Maura said softly, reluctantly letting her daughter go.

Riley nodded. "I'm sorry again."

"Okay, you've apologized enough now!" Maura laughed and pressed her lips against Riley's forehead. "You're lucky you're my absolute weakness otherwise you'd be grounded for weeks."

"Please," Jane smirked "you don't even know how to do that."

"That…" Maura shook her head, "…is true."

Riley laughed loudly, a sound both her mothers loved to hear. "Yeah. Another reason to be grateful for you."

Maura tilted her head and swatted Riley's leg while she chuckled. "Bed."

"Right." Riley was still laughing slightly as she kissed Jane's cheek and then Maura's before heading upstairs. "Night!"

"Sleep well, baby."

"Love you."

Maura sighed contently and turned to nuzzle back into Jane's arms, feeling absolutely exhausted. She pressed her lips against the bottom of her wife's jaw and inhaled Jane's lovely scent. "I love you, Jane," Maura whispered. "You're an amazing mother."

"So are you, Maur. I love you too." Jane turned to capture Maura's lips in a loving kiss and smiled as Maura snuggled into her side. "Did you finish work today?"

Maura sighed. "No."

"Should I leave you to get back to it?"

"God, no." Maura shook her head and wrapped her arms around Jane's waist, pulling her impossibly closer. "I just want to stay exactly like this for the rest of the night and then go to bed and not leave your arms for a minute too long."

Jane smiled. "You're adorable."

Maura just chuckled and closed her eyes while Jane turned on the TV to watch sports highlights. She hummed happily and snuggled into strong arms for a perfect night. She fell asleep in less than a few minutes.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N To all the people that thought Riley should have been punished in the previous chapter: I made a very conscious choice in that situation. Riley knew she was wrong and the idea that she was 'manipulating' them is just wrong. She was genuinely in pain and she felt guilty and she won't do it again. Punishing would serve the same purpose, so I didn't find it necessary. Thank you all for reviewing and reading this story. Riley is very, very close to my heart as is this entire story. Please let me know your thoughts and feelings about this chapter and as always, suggestions and ideas are welcome!_

 **Chapter 22**

"Mama," Lizzie's soft voice gently woke Jane up from a deep sleep. "Mama."

Jane opened her eyes and saw Lizzie standing next to the bed, her cheeks red with a feverish blush. "Hey, baby," she whispered sleepily.

"I can't sleep. My nose is full."

Jane hummed and got out of bed, shivering when she lost the warmth of her wife and the blankets. She took Lizzie's hand and led her towards the bathroom, searching through the cabinets for some nasal spray. "Here you go."

Jane smiled and kneeled down in front of her daughter to press her lips against her forehead, feeling hot skin. She sighed deeply. The fever was back. She felt Lizzie's arms wrapping around her neck and lifted her up from the floor, carrying her in her arms as she hugged the girl close to her front. "You'll feel better soon, baby."

Lizzie nodded and hid her face into the crook of Jane's neck. "My head hurts. And my throat too."

"I know, sweet girl." Jane kissed Lizzie's temple and walked back to the bedroom where she slid back under the covers, brining Lizzie with her in her arms. She adjusted the pillows to sit slightly up against the headboard and felt Lizzie snuggling into her lap.

Jane hated to see her kids sick. She stroked Lizzie's forehead with her hand while her other arm held the girl close to her chest. "Try to sleep," she whispered. "Tomorrow's a new day, maybe you'll feel better then."

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" Lizzie asked, her voice hoarse and weak.

"No, baby. We're gonna stay home and take really good care of you. Mommy's gonna make you healthy food and she's gonna snuggle you to death." 

Lizzie let out a soft chuckle, eliciting a sweet smile from her mother. "What 'bout you?" Lizzie asked.

"Oh when Mommy's finished with her snuggles I'm just gonna take over."

Lizzie giggled and Jane saw her eyes slowly closing. "Okay," she said sleepily.

"Sleep, honey. You'll feel better in the morning."

Jane wished her words were true, but when she woke up the next morning, she felt her daughter's small body radiating heat against her. She sighed and carefully put her hand on Lizzie's forehead, feeling that the fever was just as high if not higher as last night. She definitely caught a bad flu.

"Jane," Maura whispered from the other side of the bed, "how is she?" 

Jane shook her head and turned away from Lizzie to look at her wife. "Same."

Maura sighed and pressed her lips against Jane's in a quick good-morning kiss. "We should keep her home today."

Jane nodded. "I already promised her a snuggle-day." 

Maura smirked and draped her arm over Jane's stomach. "My favorite days." She smiled and kissed the bottom of Jane's jaw. "Can you take a day off?"

"Maybe. Cavanaugh's not gonna be happy, we need to finish piles of paperwork."

"He'll understand when you tell him your daughter is sick. And you can work from home, can't you?"

Jane nodded again and smiled when Maura shifted to get comfortable in her arms. A snuggle day really did sound good.

A few hours later, Riley had left for school and Jane sat at the dinner table in front of her laptop while Maura and Lizzie were happily painting. Lizzie's fever had dropped, but it wasn't gone yet. Her nose was stuffed and she had trouble breathing at times, but Maura succeeded in distracting her when she pulled out the finger paint they had bought a while ago.

"Look Mama," Lizzie said her in her adorable, hoarse voice, "I made a puppy."

She held up a picture of what was supposed to be a purple dog and Jane smiled. "He looks great, baby." 

"It's a girl!" Lizzie pointed angrily at a pink bow on top of the dog's head.

"Oh, sorry." Jane smirked and turned her attention back to her work until Lizzie called her again.

"Mama, Mommy makes flowers, look." Lizzie pointed at a finished painting on the table.

"Hm, that's beautiful."

"Mama has to work, baby," Maura said while she brushed Lizzie's hair back.

Lizzie's shoulders dropped and she pouted. "'Kay."

"I'm sorry, Liz. I just have to finish this report and then I'll join, okay?"

Lizzie nodded but was already focused on a new paining. The dinner table was covered in artworks of swing sets, kittens, houses, bears and other kid-like drawings. Jane looked at her wife and smiled. She looked stunning. Her hair was messy and tied up into a bun on top of her head, she was wearing a light blue shirt and dark jeans. She looked more beautiful than ever.

"Mommy, how many legs do spiders has?"

"Eight."

Lizzie nodded and counted the stripes she painted with her finger. "He has six. There's no more room!"

Maura smiled and pointed at a spot on her drawing. "What about here?"

"That's his head!" Lizzie giggled and put her hands in front of her mouth, accidentally leaving a trail of red paint on her cheek. "Spiders don't have legs on his head!"

Maura laughed and took a tablecloth to wipe Lizzie's cheek, only smearing the paint further along her face.

"Legs on your head!" Lizzie fell over laughing, a beautiful sound that made both her mothers smile lovingly.

"Yeah, you could walk on your head, y'know?" Jane smirked, looking over her laptop at her laughing daughter. "That'd be cool."

Lizzie laughed only louder. Her cheeks were red with a feverish blush and her eyes were watery, but her laughter echoed through the room like the most beautiful music in the world. "Legs on the head!"

Maura laughed and continued to clean Lizzie's face. Lizzie, still laughing, sat up on her knees and placed one of her hands on Maura's cheek. "One leg here," she said with a giggle before she moved her hand to Maura's forehead. "And one leg here."

Jane laughed when Lizzie pulled her hands away and she saw two strokes of red paint on Maura's face. "You got something on your face, babe," Jane smirked.

Maura gasped and grabbed her phone, turning on the camera to look at her own face. "Oh, Lizzie." She tilted her head but her loving smile showed that she wasn't mad.

Lizzie giggled. "You look silly, Mommy."

"Thanks to you!" Maura smiled and tickled Lizzie's stomach.

"No tickles!" Lizzie laughed and grabbed Maura's hands. "I'm too tired for tickles!" 

Maura smiled and stopped her playful assault, kissing Lizzie's forehead as she stood up to clean her face.

Jane was about to dig back into her work when the doorbell rang. She sighed and stood up to open the door. She froze when she met with the sight of her always clean, neat and classy mother-in-law. Constance Isles.

The woman smiled politely but Jane could tell she still didn't really like her. "I hope this isn't a bad time."

"No, hi." Jane opened the door further as she got over the initial surprise. "Come in."

Maura gasped from the kitchen and frantically wiped the last of the paint from her face, missing a spot on her forehead. "Mother!" she said in a high-pitched tone. She dried her hands and hurried towards the older woman to give her a formal hug. "What-, Ho-, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

Constance looked up at the paint on Maura's forehead and forced a smile. "I heard about your daughter's accident and I thought I'd stop by."

"Oh, that's…" Maura shot a quick look at Lizzie at the dinner table before turning back to her mother. "That's very thoughtful."

"How is she?"

"Well," Maura walked towards Lizzie and stood next to her as she combed her fingers through messy blond curls. "She actually caught a rather bad flu, but other than that she's doing just fine."

Constance nodded and smiled an uncomfortable smile at Lizzie who was just staring at them. "It must have been quite a scare."

"It was. Would you like some coffee?" Maura asked, fumbling to straighten her shirt while she tried to get a stain out of her jeans and pulled the tie out of her hair to let it fall loose around her shoulders. Jane couldn't wait to tell her wife how beautiful she was.

"Coffee would be lovely, thank you."

Jane smiled at her wife and lovingly squeezed Maura's arm as she passed her by. "Maura and Lizzie were actually busy painting."

"I see." Constance looked at the paintings on the table. "You are quite talented, Lizzie."

Lizzie smiled a shy smile and rested her head against Jane's waist as she stood next to her daughter. "Remember grandma Isles, baby?" Jane asked, smoothing Lizzie's hair. "She's Mommy's mother."

"Oh, yeah." Lizzie nodded but didn't see too happy that her quiet afternoon was interrupted by this clean, neat and unfamiliar woman.

"Nice to see you again, Lizzie."

Lizzie just nodded, not sure how to respond to Constance's words. Jane smiled and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "She's pretty sick."

"I heard." Constance nodded and followed Maura who was holding a cup of coffee and walking towards the living room.

"Please, have a seat."

Maura wasn't herself when she was with her adoptive mother. She felt the need to impress her and show her what she accomplished, and Jane could tell she thought finger-painting and sick six-year olds weren't a part of that. But Jane knew it was. It was more worth than any degree, job description or art gallery could ever be. 

"How have you been, darling?" Constance asked as she sat down next to her daughter.

Jane walked past her wife and squeezed her shoulder before sitting down in one of the chairs. Maura smiled a nervous smile. "I've been fine. It's quite busy with work and two daughters, but I wouldn't want it any other way."

"You look radiant."

Maura blushed and looked down at her feet while she smoothed her hair. "Thank you."

Jane looked up to see Lizzie walking towards Maura and hesitantly climbing into her lap. Maura immediately wrapped her arms around the girl, grateful to have her hands occupied. She felt Lizzie's forehead and kissed the top of her head.

"Is she okay?" 

Maura nodded. "It's just a bad cold. She should get better within a few days."

Lizzie rested her head on Maura's chest and snuggled sideways in warm arms, her activities from that day had worn her out. Maura rested her chin on top of Lizzie's head and Jane could tell she was looking for a way to start a conversation.

"How are they doing in school?" Constance asked, eliciting an annoyed look from Jane. Education and class was way too important for Constance Isles.

"Lizzie's the best of her class in math," Jane said with a proud smile and a hint of annoyance in her voice, wanting Constance to know how bright her daughter was. "And even more importantly, she makes a lot of friends."

"Oh that's great." Constance nodded but didn't seem impressed, even though she tried to hide it. "And Riley?"

"Riley's grades in English classes are very good," Maura answered proudly. "She loves to read and she's the best in her soccer team, considering her lack of height." 

"Soccer?"

"Yeah." Jane's smile disappeared when she heard judgment in Constance's voice. "Coach said she's the best in her year."

"We're very proud of her." Maura smiled and gently rocked Lizzie back and forth as she rubbed the girl's back. "She's grown a lot."

Constance nodded and Jane saw her expression softening when she looked at a sleepy, sick Lizzie in Maura's arms. She sighed and lightly shook her head. "It looks so natural on you," Constance said, her voice almost a whisper. "Being a mother."

"It is," Jane added softly, seeing that Maura was at loss for words. "She's a mom at heart. Always has been, always will be."

Maura smiled a shy smile as her cheeks reddened with an adorable blush. "Thank you. It feels natural."

"She's the best mother our kids could ever wish for." Jane smiled at the sight of her wife and daughter on the couch, seeing that familiar endless love in Maura's hazel eyes. The kind of love that didn't exist before Riley and Lizzie, but was there now to no end.

"They seem to be comfortable in your affection." Constance took a sip of her coffee and looked a little more at ease.

Maura just nodded.

"Maura's the snuggle-mom of the house," Jane said carefully, not wanting to interrupt, but wanting to help her wife in the conversation. "Kids love her endlessly."

Maura waved Jane's words away and stroked Lizzie's warm forehead. "Our children have been severely traumatized. Physical affection comforts them."

Jane felt the tension rising in the room. Maura's parents never offered her any kind of physical affection. It wasn't until she met Jane that she realized how much she had missed that. Jane smiled when she remembered the first few weeks of their relationship. They were so mushy and cuddly, it would make the old Jane Rizzoli sick. But the new, very much in love with Maura Jane Rizzoli loved it. Holding the honey-blonde in her arms soon became her favorite thing in the world. Maura needed it. She craved it and she hadn't even known for so long.

"And it comforts me too," Maura added softly as she looked lovingly at her almost sleeping daughter in her lap. "If I could, I would keep them in my arms forever."

Constance smiled. "I never offered it to you," she whispered. "I didn't realize I should have until it was too late."

Tears welled up in Maura's eyes as her hand kept stroking Lizzie's forehead, lulling the girl to sleep. "It's okay."

"I never was like this," Constance said like she didn't hear Maura. "I saw other mothers having it with their children and for a brief moment I thought it would be different with biological children, but I always loved you like you were my own."

"That's the difference," Jane said, her voice soft but determined. "We don't love them like they are our own. They _are_ our own."

Constance looked at Jane with a shocked expression on her face. She didn't reply.

Maura averted her gaze and gently stroked Lizzie's cheek with her thumb, looking at her youngest daughter with tears in her eyes. "They are," she whispered. "They're mine and I love them more than anything or anyone in the entire world."

"That's how I feel about you, darling," Constance whispered, carefully reaching out her arm to place her hand on Maura's arm. "You're ours. I just… I was never any good at it. You didn't ask for much and I assumed… You didn't need it."

"I did." A tear trickled down Maura's cheek but Jane could tell she wasn't mad.

Constance nodded. "I can't tell you how sorry I am."

"Don't be." Maura shook her head and smiled at her mother. "I turned out to be just fine, didn't I?"

"More than fine." Constance squeezed Maura's arm before pulling hers back. "Your girls are quite something."

"You should see her when she's healthy," Jane smirked, pointing at the feverish girl in Maura's lap.

Constance laughed, the first genuine smile since she arrived. "I can imagine. She's a rather beautiful young girl. As is Riley, I may add."

Maura nodded and smiled proudly. "The most beautiful girls in the world."

"I hope you don't resent me, Maura." Constance said quietly. "You have to know that I loved you with all my heart."

Maura thought about that for a moment but eventually shook her head. "I don't resent you."

Constance lifted her hand and cupped Maura's cheek, a gesture that startled the doctor. "I still do. You're my daughter and I love you."

Maura swallowed her tears and nodded. Jane felt that she was too much in this conversation and silently stood up to walk towards the kitchen, leaving Maura with her mother. She watched them from a distance, seeing Maura crying as she embraced her mother, pulling back to place kisses on top of Lizzie's head. They talked quietly and Jane watched them with a smile until the front door opened.

"Ma!" Riley practically ran inside and threw her jacket into the closet as she spotted Jane in the kitchen. "You'll never guess what coach-…." She stopped in her tracks when she saw Constance on the couch. "Oh… Uhm…"

Maura smiled at her oldest daughter and reached up her arm to pull her down for a kiss on her cheek. "Hi love."

"Hi." Riley smiled a shy smile, ever uncomfortable with unfamiliar people.

"It's nice to see you, Riley," Constance said with a polite smile.

"Yes, you- see- uhm…" Riley shook her head and stepped away. "You too. I gotta go… Ma…"

Jane chuckled and reached out her arm to wrap it around Riley's shoulders as she stood next to her mother. Riley sighed and leaned into Jane's side. "She makes me so uncomfortable," she whispered softly.

Jane smirked and kissed Riley's temple. "I feel ya."

"Is Mom okay?"

Jane nodded and sighed deeply. "Yeah. She's okay."

"And Liz?"

Jane hummed. "Not as good. Still sick."

"From the water?"

"Probably. Killed her immune system."

Riley nodded and leaned further into Jane's side as both her mother's arms wrapped around the skinny girl. She had been incredibly tired whenever she got back from school lately. "How was school?" 

Riley shrugged. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Robin's just stupid. She put all the others up against us." Riley sighed and shook her head. "But a lot of kids don't believe her anyway, so I think it's good."

"Don't let her get to you, baby," Jane said softly. "She doesn't know any better and that's sad for her."

Riley nodded and watched as Constance stood up from the couch. Maura carefully put Lizzie on the couch, making sure not to wake her.

"I'm terribly sorry, I have to go." Constance smiled and walked into the kitchen to say goodbye. She squeezed Riley's arm and smiled a warm smile Jane had never seen before. "It was nice to see you, even if it was a short while."

"You too." Riley nodded her head at her grandmother but didn't move from Jane's side.

Jane said her polite goodbye and watched Maura walking with her mother to the front door. Before Maura could open it, Constance enveloped her daughter into a loving hug.

"Wow, I never thought of her as a huggy person," Riley whispered, looking at the front door.

Jane smiled when she saw the look of gratitude in Maura's shimmering eyes. "She's not. But she realized how much your Mom missed it when she was younger. I think she's trying to make up for it."

Riley nodded. "So she never hugged Mom when she was little?"

"Not really, no. They're very reserved people," Jane replied. "I don't know her father very well but you know Constance."

"Yeah. Pretty much the opposite of Mom."

Jane nodded and felt a hint of annoyance when she looked at her wife and mother-in-law. Constance had a habit of stopping by whenever she needed something. She hadn't visited them at their home since Riley's adoption-day and Jane wondered why she suddenly decided to visit her daughter now. It couldn't be just because of Lizzie's accident. Or maybe it was. Jane didn't know. She would never understand that woman. Sometimes she thought she saw genuine love and warmth, and sometimes she was convinced she just didn't care about her daughter. But today, Jane saw that her love was real. She stopped questioning Constance's reasons to visit. It made Maura happy, and that's what mattered.

Maura closed the front door and walked towards Jane and Riley with a smile on her face. She kissed Riley's forehead and squeezed Jane's side while she did.

"Nice of her to stop by," Jane said before she pecked Maura's lips.

Maura nodded and rested back against the opposite kitchen counter. "It is."

"So… She never hugged you when you were little?" Riley asked carefully.

Maura shook her head, a hint of sadness reflecting on her face. "No. Only in formal ways."

"But…" Riley blushed and Jane squeezed her arm. "You're all hugs and kisses."

Maura smiled a sweet smile and opened her arms for her oldest daughter. Riley stepped away from Jane to fall into them, her skinny arms wrapping around Maura's waist as Maura kissed the top of her head. "Because I know how loved it can make you feel and I know how much it can be missed," she whispered, looking into Jane's eyes with a sad smile. "I know how safe it can make someone feel to be wrapped up in warm arms. I know how loved you can feel when someone drapes their arm around your shoulders or just gives you a quick kiss."

Riley nodded and rested her head on Maura's chest. "I'm sorry you never got that, Mom." Riley, of all people knew what it was like to be ignored and feel unloved and all alone.

Maura smiled. "It's okay. I got it now. And more." She kissed Riley's head and gently rocked them from side to side. "I just want to make sure you never feel unloved or unwanted."

Jane looked at her wife and daughter and swallowed a lump in her throat at their heartfelt moment. Maura had so much love inside her. It still amazed Jane. There was so much love it was pouring over. She changed. In their years of marriage and being parents, Maura changed. She went from an awkward social outcast to a warm, loving partner and mother. She went from getting uncomfortable with physical touch to the most cuddly mother and wife in the world. Jane loved her more and more with every change. She only got better and Jane couldn't be luckier to be married to such an amazing woman.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Look, baby," Maura put her hand in the warm water of the bathtub, "it's nice and warm and not deep at all."

Lizzie just shook her head. Her hands were in front of her bare chest as she looked at the filled bathtub with fear in her eyes. She was covered in feverish sweat and needed a bath or shower before she went to sleep. Maura had decided to see how she would react to a bath.

Maura sighed and kicked off her shoes. She took off her jeans and stepped into the tub, pointing at the water that didn't even reach her knees. "See? It's not deep at all. It's just bathwater."

Again, Lizzie shook her head.

"Baby," Maura reached out her hand and took Lizzie's in hers. Lizzie only looked at the water, fear showing in her light brown eyes. "I know you are scared. It's okay to be scared."

Maura stepped out of the tub and kneeled next to her daughter. She took Lizzie's hand and moved it towards the surface of the water. The poor girl was shaking. Lizzie's small fingers touched the warm water.

"Can you feel it?" Maura whispered, lightly holding her daughter's shaking hand. "It's warm."

Lizzie nodded. She slowly wiggled her fingers, wrinkling the water.

Maura stayed silent for a while, afraid to push too far too soon. After a few moments, she kissed Lizzie's temple. "Would you like to try to stand in it, like I just did?"

Lizzie shrugged. A good sign. She didn't immediately refuse.

"Together?" Maura brushed a strand of hair out of Lizzie's face and caressed her warm cheek. The high fever had dropped but she was still slightly too warm.

Lizzie turned her head and looked into Maura's eyes, causing tears to well up in the blonde's eyes. She looked so fearful. "You don't have to, my love. Just try?"

Lizzie nodded and took her hand away from the water, tightly grabbing Maura's. Maura lifted Lizzie in her arms and carefully stepped into the bath. Lizzie's arms were clutching Maura's neck.

Maura tried to lower her daughter but Lizzie kept holding on, her arms wrapped around her mother's neck like steel. "It's okay, love. I'm here. Nothing's going to hurt you."

Lizzie shook her head and let out a quiet sob as tears started falling down her cheeks. "I don't wanna, Mommy."

"Okay," Maura stepped out and pulled her daughter close. "It's okay, sweet girl. I'm here."

Lizzie sniffled and hid her face into Maura's neck. "I'm scared, Mommy."

"I know you are, baby." Maura grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the nude, shivering girl in her arms. She worried about her. Her reaction to water indicated that she was truly traumatized when she fell into the canal. "It's okay. You're very brave for trying. I'm proud of you, honey."

Lizzie nodded and cried quietly into Maura's neck. Maura kissed Lizzie's temple and rubbed her back, feeling her sweaty, cold skin under her fingers. "Should we try a shower?"

"'Kay."

Maura smiled and gently put Lizzie down, combing her fingers through her hair while she turned on the shower and adjusted it to a comfortable warmth. Goose-bumps appeared on Lizzie's body as she stepped under the spray. Maura put her pants back on before she took a washcloth and soap and started washing Lizzie's body, noticing how exhausted her daughter was. She quickly washed Lizzie's hair, applied some conditioner so she would be able to get a brush through the mess of curls, and rinsed her off to finish the routine.

She wrapped the girl up in the towel and kissed her forehead while she dried her hair. "Astronaut pajamas? Or puppies?"

A slight sparkle lit up Lizzie's eyes as she thought about that decision for a second. "Puppies."

"Good choice." Maura held up a pair of panties for Lizzie to step into before she took her hand and led her towards her bedroom.

Once Lizzie was changed into her pajamas, freshly showered and tucked into bed, Maura sat on the edge and stroked her daughter's forehead. "How is your head feeling?" 

Lizzie turned her head and looked at her mother, the fear gone from her eyes. "Better."

Maura smiled at the sight of her beautiful daughter. "Good." She pressed her lips against Lizzie's forehead and inhaled the scent of children's body wash and freshly washed pajamas. "I love you, pretty girl." Maura pulled back and caressed Lizzie's cheek. "My beautiful baby girl."

Lizzie smiled and snuggled into her warm blankets. "Love you too, Mommy."

"How about a bedtime story?"

Lizzie nodded and sat up to grab a book from the nightstand. She handed it to Maura and snuggled into her mother's side while Maura opened the book and started reading the all too familiar story about the two Nutbrown Hares.

When Maura finished, she closed the book and placed a kiss on top of Lizzie's head.

Lizzie sighed contently and snuggled into Maura's warm side. "I loves you too from the moon and back, Mommy."

Maura smiled and put the book away to pull her daughter into her arms. "I love you even more than that," she whispered as she kissed Lizzie's wet curls.

Lizzie giggled. "That's not possible, Mommy."

"Yes, it is! I love you… _twice_ from the moon and back."

Lizzie pulled back and looked up at Maura, lost in thought for a second until her face broke out into a proud grin. "I love you a zillion times from the moon and back!"

"A zillion times?" Maura smiled and caressed Lizzie's cheek.

Lizzie nodded. "Yep." She wrapped her small arms around her mother's neck and squeezed hard. "Aaaaall the way to the moon."

Maura felt tears burning in her eyes and pulled her daughter close into her front. "That's a very long way, baby," she whispered.

"Hm hm." Lizzie nodded as she slightly loosened her grip around Maura's neck. "The longest way of all."

Maura chuckled. "Oh, you've won."

Lizzie grinned against her mother. "Yeah." 

"But I still love you more than anything or anyone in the world," Maura whispered.

"What 'bout Riley?"

Maura smiled and kissed Lizzie's head. "I love both of you more than anything."

"What 'bout Mama?" 

"I love Mama most of all." Maura chuckled and pulled back to kiss Lizzie's forehead and tuck her back into bed, knowing this discussion could continue for a while. "And now you have to sleep."

Lizzie smiled and lifted her pillow to grab Stevie from underneath, hugging the stuffed animal to her chest as she put her thumb in her mouth. Maura brushed some hair out of Lizzie's face and pressed her lips against the girl's still warm temple. "Sleep well, my love."

"Night, Mommy."

Maura stood up from the bed, turned off the lights and walked to the hallway where she saw Jane leaning against the wall with a smirk on her face. Maura sighed and shook her head before she leaned into her wife to capture her lips in a loving kiss.

Jane pecked Maura's lips a few times before they broke apart. "That was the mushiest bedtime story I've ever heard."

Maura chuckled and combed her fingers through her wife's black curls. "And of course you listened to all of it."

"Obviously."

Maura shook her head and caressed Jane's cheeks with her thumbs as she looked into deep, dark eyes. "You look beautiful tonight," she whispered. She looked at the wrinkles that appeared around her wife's sparkling eyes when she smiled, the way her lips curled up into a slight smile as her arms tightened around the blonde.

"So do you," Jane answered before kissing Maura's lips, Maura's hands tangling in Jane's curls as the kiss deepened.

When they reluctantly broke apart after nearly fifteen minutes of simply kissing, Maura smiled a bright smile and took Jane's hand as they walked downstairs. It had been a while since they just kissed and enjoyed the taste of each other's lips. Maura loved it. She would never get tired of kissing the beautiful woman that she was lucky enough to call her wife.

"Riley's not home yet?" Maura asked as she walked into an empty living room.

Jane shook her head and looked at her watch. "Should be getting home from Sarah's within fifteen minutes. Gave her an early curfew because she was so late the other day."

Maura hummed and started making some tea for herself. "I tried to give Lizzie a bath."

"Really? How'd that go?"

Maura sighed. "Terrible." She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and turned to face her wife. "She's terrified, Jane."

"Can't blame her," Jane said softly as she leaned back against the kitchen counter.

Maura poured the boiling water into her glass and sighed deeply. "The horrible thing is… I don't know how to help her get over that fear."

"Maybe she just needs a little more time," Jane shrugged and grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Maybe we should just keep trying."

Maura nodded as she lowered a teabag into her glass. "It's just…" she swallowed a lump in her throat and looked into Jane's eyes. "She was so upset, Jane," she whispered. "She was shaking, she wouldn't let me go. She's terrified."

"Yeah, she's traumatized." Jane stepped closer to Maura and brushed her hair over her shoulder. "She'll get better. We'll help her. And if it turns out we can't, we find someone else to help her. Okay?"

Maura smiled and allowed her wife to wrap her up in a loving hug. She rested her head on Jane's shoulder and inhaled the scent of her wife, a lovely mix between cotton, faded lavender, and the remnants of a long day. "Okay," she smiled and kissed the brunette's collarbone.

The front door opened and Riley walked into the house, turning to wave at someone on the street. "Thanks again!"

"Hi love," Maura smiled at her oldest daughter. "Did Sarah's parents take you home?"

Riley nodded and put her bag on a chair as she took off her coat. "Yeah."

Maura studied the teenager and saw that she was tired. Not the kind of tired after a long day of school and homework, but the kind of tired that meant something was bothering her. "How was school?" Maura asked as she walked up to Riley to kiss her cheek.

"Fine. Got an A- for my book report."

"Oh, that's amazing!" Maura smiled a proud smile and grabbed her tea from the kitchen counter. "You worked very hard on that."

"Yeah. That's what Mr. Neal said."

Maura hummed and brushed some hair out of Riley's face to study her daughter, seeing pale skin and tired blue eyes. "Would you like some tea? The water is still warm."

"Sure."

Jane sat at one of the stools at the counter and looked at Riley. "So how's Sarah?"

"Good. She failed the book report, though." Riley sat down next to Jane and watched as Maura made her favorite kind of tea; orange with a spoonful of honey. "I helped her correct it after school, Mr. Neal's giving her another chance."

"That's nice of him."

"Yeah." Riley took the steaming cup of tea from her mother, flashing her a grateful smile.

Maura smiled back and took a sip of her own before she sighed and looked at her tired daughter. "You look exhausted, baby," she said softly. "Are you okay?"

Riley shrugged. "Yeah, fine."

"Are things at school still okay?"

Riley's cheeks turned red and Maura saw her expression dropping. Something was wrong at school. "Yeah."

"Riley." Maura tilted her head, but Riley didn't give in.

"It'll blow over, it's fine."

Jane furrowed her brow and gave Maura a confused look. "What will blow over, honey?"

Riley shook her head. "Nothing, it's fine. Really."

Maura sighed deeply. She knew it wasn't fine. But she also knew that if Riley didn't want to talk about it, she shouldn't push her or else she'd close up completely. "If you say so," Maura replied softly. She walked around the counter and rubbed Riley's back as she passed her. "You want to watch TV? That show you like is on tonight, I believe." 

"Yeah." Riley smiled, grateful that Maura let it slide for now. She took the remote control from Maura and sat next to her mothers on the couch.

Maura smiled when she felt her daughter resting into her side. She wrapped one of her arms around Riley's shoulders and pressed her lips against her temple. When Riley was upset, she looked for comfort in her mother's arms. That's how it had always been and Maura hoped that's how it would always be.

She relaxed against the back of the couch and felt Riley snuggling into her side as they sipped their hot tea. Something was bothering Riley and Maura was determined to help her. She looked at her daughter's head that rested on her shoulder and decided she would pick Riley up at school tomorrow. It had been a while since Maura had been at Riley's school and maybe it would give her comfort to have her mother there.

So the next day, Jane picked Lizzie up from school while Maura got off work early and waited in front of her car at Riley's school. She pulled the zipper of her coat higher to get warm; the days were getting cold in Boston. The sky was clear blue and the air was cool.

She inhaled deeply and looked at the big building to see teenagers walking around, walking towards cars and busses or to a different class. After a while, Riley appeared in front of the building. She was walking by herself.

Maura waved and caught Riley's attention. The girl hurried towards her mother and reached up her arms to wrap them around Maura's neck. "I didn't know you were gonna pick me up," she said, trying to sound cheerful but Maura heard exhaustion in her voice.

"Surprise." Maura smiled and kissed the side of Riley's head. "Where's Sarah? She's not with you?"

"She dropped Biology, remember? She's already home, I think." 

Maura hummed and kept the embrace a little longer, feeling Riley's arms tightening around her neck. "How was your day?"

Riley shrugged and didn't reply.

"Baby…" Maura whispered as she felt Riley resting her head against her shoulder.

"Look, guys!" A tall girl with ripped jeans and a tight top stood still on the sidewalk, looking at Riley and Maura. Her hair was blonde but had bright pink stripes in it. She looked at Riley with a kind of contempt that made Maura's stomach twist.

"It's the mommy-girl, little Riley." She laughed mockingly and looked at what seemed her friends around her. "Poor little Riley hugging her mommy!"

Maura furrowed her brow and loosened her grip on her daughter. She felt anger burning in the pit of her stomach as she stepped towards the girl. "Excuse me?"

"Oh," the girl looked at her friends, trying to be cool, "I angered the mommy!"

Maura felt a blind anger closing up her throat but she decided to stay calm and be the bigger person. She stepped closer towards the girl. "Nice to meet you. I'm Doctor Maura Isles, Riley's mother."

"Yeah, sure." The girl smirked and leaned her hand on her hip.

"May I ask your name?"

The girl laughed and chewed her gum in an offensive way. "Knock yourself out."

Maura just narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.

"Robin."

A realization hit Maura when she heard that name. Robin was the girl Sarah used to date. The dating Riley helped put an end to. Seeing Robin, Maura knew Riley had done the right thing by talking Sarah out of that 'relationship'. This girl was nothing but trouble. "I see." Maura's voice was calm even though she felt like her insides were on fire. "Now, I don't appreciate the way you treat my daughter."

"No shit!" Robin laughed and poked the arm of one of the girls that stood beside her. The girl laughed, but Maura saw it wasn't genuine. She looked afraid.

"Mom, let's just go home okay?" Riley tugged on Maura's arm and had a pleading look in her eyes.

"Yeah! Go home to your other 'mommy'!" Robin laughed and spit on the ground.

"Stop!" Maura said firmly. "Bullying can be reported to the school counseling and you could get suspended. I won't hesitate to do what I have to do if you continue like this."

"You think I care?" Robin lifted her hands and gestured at her appearance. "Please, get me suspended. I don't give a shit."

"Mom." Riley urged Maura, pulling at her arm. "C'mon."

Maura nodded and looked up at Robin, despising the girl with all she had. She wanted to push this girl on the ground and hit her for the way she talked about her girl. But she restrained herself. "Don't hurt my daughter."

The girl's laughter echoed through the air as Maura and Riley walked back to the car, trying to ignore the girls. Maura sat behind the wheel and looked at Riley to see tears running down her face. Maura reached over to wipe them away, but Riley flinched and shook her head.

"Can we just go home?" Her voice was laced with pain and tears and it broke Maura's heart. "Please?"

Maura swallowed a lump in her throat and started the engine to drive them home. The drive was silent except for the soft sniffling from Riley.

Maura's knuckles were white as she clung to the steering wheel. How could someone be so mean to her daughter? How could someone deliberately hurt someone like that? Why did this girl picked _her_ daughter to bully? Maura remembered how a few guys teased Riley when she first started at school, but this was different. They were just teasing the new kid. This was deliberate. This was meant to hurt Riley in the deepest way possible.

They arrived home and Riley immediately got out of the car without saying a word. Jane wasn't home yet and Maura concluded she must be at Angela's. She promised to stop by there sometime this week.

In the living room, Maura saw Riley standing with her back to her mother, her shoulders shaking as she cried softly. "Riley, my love…" Maura whispered.

Riley shook her head and wiped her cheeks. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not." Maura carefully stepped closer to her daughter but didn't touch her, afraid to scare her off.

Riley sobbed quietly and hid her face into her hands.

Maura sighed and felt tears burning in her eyes at the sight of her small, aching daughter. "Come here, baby," she mumbled through the lump in her throat.

Riley shook her head again.

"Riley Rizzoli-Isles get your butt here so I can give you a hug." Maura cried and opened her arms, smiling a sad smile when Riley turned around and collapsed into her mother.

Maura kissed Riley's head and rubbed her back, pulling the girl close in her arms. "How long has this been going on?"

Riley shrugged. "Dunno."

"Have you told anyone?"

"Only makes it worse."

"But have you tried?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah. I told Mr. Morgan after class when they were poking me during class. A few weeks ago." Riley sniffled and snuggled closer in Maura's arms. "He said he would do something about it and make sure it wouldn't happen again."

"And…?"

Riley sighed deeply. "Only made it worse. They call me names and say offensive things."

Maura tightened her arms around her daughter and comfortingly rubbed her back. "I'm going to call your school."

"No, Mom-…"

"Yes." Maura pulled back and cupped Riley's cheek. "If I don't, it'll continue like this. Your school has rules for this. They can prevent bullying."

"No they can't." 

Maura wiped Riley's tears with both her thumbs and looked into pained blue eyes. "I can't sit back and let someone treat my child like this, honey. If I don't call, your Ma will go there personally to strangle them."

Riley sighed and knew it wasn't much use to protest. She nodded and hid her face back into Maura's shoulder. "Just… don't let them know you called, okay? They can't know."

"I'll make sure." Maura kissed Riley's head over and over again as she pulled her into her arms "Nobody treats you like that, my love. I won't allow it. My sweet girl."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Riley walked through the halls of her school with her head hanging low, trying to keep all the attention away from her. Sarah was sick today. She was all alone and more scared than ever.

That morning, she vomited twice and cried for a half hour, but she couldn't stay home. She had a math test today. And she wouldn't let Robin win. If she stayed home, Robin won. So she went to school. With led in her shoes, a knot in her aching stomach and fear burning in her chest.

She just finished the math test. It didn't went badly, but also not great. She had no idea. She sighed and looked up to see where she was going. Chemistry. That was in a different building behind the main building. But the worst part was, Robin took the same class.

Riley sat in the very back of the class and kept her face down, looking at her books. She felt her classmates sitting down around her, but she didn't pay any attention to them.

Suddenly, someone stood close to her and she felt her heart skipping a beat. She looked up and saw Robin.

Robin had her hands on her hips and she smelled like cigarettes and coffee. She was chewing gum and looking down at Riley with anger in her eyes. "You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you little bitch?"

Riley didn't reply. Replying would make it worse. It was better to stay silent and wait until it was over.

"You called the principal on me? Oh no wait," she tilted her head and huffed, "your _mommy_ called the principal. Because you're too dumb and too scared to do anything yourself."

Riley looked away and prayed that the teacher would come in now. How did she find out? She asked her mom so many times to keep it a secret!

"You're gonna pay for this, bitch." Robin's voice was soft but dangerous.

Riley balled her fist and looked at the door, immensely relieved to see the teacher walking into the classroom.

Robin saw the teacher too and straightened her back. "You're not getting away with this. Just wait until after school"

Riley watched Robin taking a seat a few tables away and tried her best not to cry. She didn't want to be afraid. She didn't want to be affected by someone like Robin. But she was. Robin was popular. She could get people to do anything for her. She had too much power and that scared Riley. Sarah was her only real friend at school and she knew she was all alone today. Why did Sarah had to get the flu today?

She couldn't pay attention during class. The teacher was talking and they were working on something but nothing stuck. Riley felt a knot in her stomach and dreaded going home in an hour. She contemplated texting her mother. If Ma picked her up, then Robin wouldn't come close to her. But then the insults would only get worse. She already was the mommy-girl. And it was true. She needed her mothers. She liked it when her mom picked her up from school. She loved to bury herself in warm, strong arms that made her feel safe and loved. It hurt her that Robin had to pick that part of her to tease on. She just picked her because she caused the break-up between her and Sarah. Still, Riley had no regrets. If she hadn't done what she did, Sarah would still be stuck in that awful relationship with Robin.

Riley looked at the clock in the back of the classroom and saw that there was twenty minutes left before she had to go home. She met Robin's gaze when she turned back and saw a look of hate and anger. Robin balled her fist and tilted her chin, challenging her. The knot in Riley's stomach tightened.

She grabbed her phone from her pocket and texted her Ma from under the table. If Ma picked her up from school, Robin wouldn't hurt her. She felt like a coward. She needed her mother to keep her safe from the bullies and that made her feel awful. But the knot in her stomach told her that Robin had planned something bad.

The bell rang too fast. The class erupted in chatter and noise when everybody started to pack their stuff. Riley threw her stuff into her bag, stuffed her book into it and almost ran out of the classroom, away from Robin and the girls she had set up against her.

She hurried outside and hoped to see her mother's car, but she saw nothing. She checked her phone and saw that she had an unopened text. She quickly opened it.

 **Have to finish up at work. Be there in 20.**

The text was from ten minutes ago. That meant her Ma wouldn't be there until ten minutes later. She swallowed a lump in her throat and scrolled down to the second unopened text she received a few seconds after the first.

 **You okay, baby?**

Riley's fingers were shaking as she texted back; **Yeah, fine. Xx**

She didn't want her mothers to worry. Her mom worried yesterday and she felt awful about it. She managed to hide this for so long, and now she failed. She didn't want to cause her parents any pain. They had enough on their plate as it was, with Lizzie's accident and the aftermath of it.

Her phone buzzed. **On my way. Love you.**

Riley took a deep breath and looked around, seeing no sign of Robin. She walked towards the parking space and waited for her mother. She prayed she would be fast. She hated herself for being so afraid. She should ignore Robin and her stupid insults. She shouldn't let it get to her. She shouldn't give her the power to hurt her. But she did.

"Look, she's waiting for us!"

Riley's throat closed up and she felt a monster of fear crawling into her chest. She turned around to see Robin walking towards her, a group of unfamiliar girls following her. Behind them, she saw a few girls from her class. They were with maybe six girls total. All bigger than Riley. All much stronger.

Riley took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice as best as possible. She looked for a way out but they were standing behind large trees, hiding them from the school. "What do you want, Robin?"

Robin shrugged and lit a cigarette, putting it between her teeth. "To kick your ass for what you did."

"I just helped my friend."

Robin laughed, but the laugh didn't contain happiness. It only contained hate. "Oh, that's what you think?"

Riley just nodded and felt herself growing smaller and smaller in front of the intimidating girl. She tried to push her chest forward and look confident, but she knew Robin saw how fragile she was. "I don't want any trouble, Robin," she said, hating how her voice was slightly shaking. "Can't we just forget about it and ignore each other?"

"You'd think, wouldn't ya?" She took a pull of her cigarette and stepped closer to Riley to blow the smoke in her face. "But you had to run to the school board to complain about _bullying_." Robin laughed in Riley's face. "Oh no, your _Mommy_ did."

Robin looked over her shoulders at the girls behind her as they laughed. Riley asked herself why those girls were following Robin. Was she threatening them? What did they see in her? Why would they follow her around while she bullied a harmless classmate?

"It's because her mommies are dykes," one of the girls said. She walked forwards and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "That's why she's so weird."

"Yeah." Robin grinned and blew smoke in the air. "Along with her daddy-issues of course."

Riley's balled her fists and felt her cheeks flushing red with anger. How did Robin even know she ever had a father? "I don't have a father," Riley whispered in a low groan.

"Oh look, she's getting mad!" Robin laughed and threw her head back. "We hit a soft spot."

"Stop," Riley hissed through her teeth.

Robin only smiled, she looked like she enjoyed this. "Nah, I'm having too much fun."

Riley shook her head and turned around to leave as tears burned in her eyes. Was she really this worthless that someone could just walk over her like that? She walked away but Robin stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

"Go away, Robin," Riley said. "Leave me alone."

Robin's lips curled up into a crooked smile and she tilted her head, sucking on her cigarette again before blowing the smoke in Riley's face. "Not before I tell you what you did."

"I know what I did. Just leave me alone."

"You made my girlfriend broke up with me, you fucking weirdo!"

"I was trying to help her!"

"Yeah right." Robin huffed and her smile disappeared. "You know what you are? You are nothing but a worthless piece of shit. You're a mommy's girl. You're so desperate and needy it makes me want to puke." 

Riley felt tears in her eyes as Robin's words pierced through her heart like hot knives. She tried to be strong and walk around Robin to leave, but she kept blocking her way. She couldn't turn to the other side because of the other girls. She was trapped and had to listen to what Robin had to say.

"You think those dykes are you parents but you're so dumb, Riley," Robin continued, her voice laced with the deepest hate possible. "They don't give a shit about you. They just got you to look good. Why else would they adopt? Who wants a kid like you?"

Hot tears made their way down Riley's cheeks and she heard the girls laughing at her. She wiped them away with the sleeve of her jacket. "Stop," she whispered. "Just leave me alone."

"You're a selfish piece of shit!" Robin yelled at her, her face getting closer to hers with every word she spoke. "You're nothing! You don't even have parents!"

"Yes, I do!" Riley cried, her nails digging into the palms of her hands as she tried to keep herself from strangling Robin.

Robin laughed. "It's cute that you think that. They're gonna get rid of you as soon as you turn eighteen, mark my words."

"No, they won't."

Robin didn't hear her and just continued. "You don't even have any friends! Except for Sarah but she's just afraid to leave you 'cause she feels sorry for you because of how pathetic you are. She doesn't care about you, she told me herself."

Riley shook her head. "That's not true."

"You're a piece of shit, Riley!" Robin was yelling into Riley's face now. "A worthless piece of shit! Nobody cares about you and you're gonna rot! You are nothing!"

Robin pointed her cigarette at Riley and Riley lost it. She felt like the monster in her chest crawled its way out and before she knew it, her fist was punching Robin's stomach. She felt blind, hot rage taking over as she threw herself on Robin. She heard yelling and screaming, but she didn't pay attention to it. She tried to push Robin over but the girl was too strong.

As soon as she felt Robin's hands on her, she knew she had made a mistake. A huge mistake. Robin was too strong for her. Riley was skinny and short. Robin was tall and muscular. She was no match for her. Riley felt all the air pushing out of her lungs as Robin threw her on the ground and closed her eyes when she saw her fist coming at her face. She felt a stinging pain on her cheek and felt warm blood running down her chin.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN TOUCH ME? YOU BITCH!"

A punch in her stomach. A slap in her face. A kick in her side.

Riley tried to scream for help but she turned her head to see that all the other girls ran away. It was getting too real and they ran. Cowards.

Riley coughed as Robin hit her stomach. "Stop," she whimpered helplessly. "Stop!"

Robin was yelling insults at her but Riley didn't even hear them. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the physical and mental pain.

Suddenly she heard slipping tires of a car, followed by the sound of a car door opening and a familiar voice yelling. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Ma. Riley cried and felt Robin's hold loosening on her. She looked up to see her mother pulling Robin away from her, grabbing her jacket and pushing her roughly against her car.

"Stay away from her," Jane growled dangerously. "You get your hands on my daughter one more time and I will kill you with my bare hands! You hear me?"

Riley sat up and held her jacket against her bleeding lip as she watched her mother pushing Robin up against the car. Robin's eyes showed fear and surprise. Jane pushed harder and Robin had trouble breathing.

"I'm going to make this very clear one more time." Jane's eyes screamed rage and her knuckles were white around the collar of Robin's shirt. "You stay the hell away from my daughter. If I see you even doing so much as looking at her, I will not hesitate to break you. I will _break_ you, Robin. You understand?"

Robin nodded quickly, wanting to get out of the detective's strong hold.

"I'll report you to the school and make sure you never come close to her ever again. And if you do, you will have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life." Jane's voice was low and more dangerous than Riley had ever heard. "Stay. Away. From. My. Daughter."

Robin nodded and Riley was awfully happy to see tears in her eyes.

"Understood?" Jane asked, roughly pushing Robin up against the car.

Robin nodded.

"UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes, yes!"

"What?"

"I'll leave her alone!"

Jane pushed Robin one more time before she let go of her. Robin's bottom lip quivered and she ran away, clutching her bag to her chest.

In an instant, Jane was on her knees next to her daughter. Riley whimpered and felt her mother lifting her from the ground. She rested her head on Jane's strong shoulder as her mother carried her towards the car. Jane opened the door to the backseat and took Riley in her lap as she sat down.

She carefully placed her fingers on Riley's lip, looking at the cut. "Does it hurt?" she whispered, all the anger completely faded from her voice.

Riley just shrugged. Her body felt bruised but her soul was bleeding. She felt her mother kissing her temple and pulling her close in her arms. Jane's strong hold was hurting Riley's ribs, but she didn't say anything.

"What happened, baby?" Jane whispered, her hand on Riley's cheek where she made soft, gently strokes.

Riley couldn't reply. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and her throat was closed up in fear, anger and pain. She let out a quiet sob and hid her face into her mother's chest, the only place that made her feel truly safe.

She wasn't ready to talk about it yet. She would, but not now. Now she was in pain. She was in pain and needed her mother. Yes, she was a mommy's girl. Yes, she was desperate and needy. But she needed her mother. If that made her pathetic, so be it. She was wrapped up in the strongest arms she knew, she felt the most unconditional love she'd ever felt and she was safe. She was always safe with her Ma. She knew she was. And that's all that mattered right now.


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N Thank you all for the reviews to the last chapter! I get that it's a lot of drama, but this is a story and drama is what keeps it interesting for me. Anyway, this chapter will deal with the aftermath of the fight. Please let me know what you think, your reviews mean a lot to me._

 **Chapter 25**

Maura sat at the dinner table, working on an autopsy report while Lizzie sat next to her, drawing a picture of what was probably some kind of cat.

"Mommy," Lizzie asked, looking up from her work, "can I have lemonade?"

"Sure, baby."

Lizzie jumped off her chair and walked into the kitchen. "I can't reach the glass, Mommy!"

Maura smiled and stood up, kissing the top of Lizzie's head before grabbing a glass for her daughter. Lizzie was still tired, but Maura was immensely happy that she was almost better from the flu. Her fever was gone and she was just sniffling and easily tired.

Maura poured the lemonade for Lizzie and was about to give her a kiss when the front door opened. Maura looked up and gasped.

"Riley!" She hurried towards her oldest daughter and placed her hands on the sides of Riley's face. "My God, what happened?"

Riley shrugged and Maura saw streaks of tears on her cheeks. She looked at Jane and saw faded anger and sadness in her wife's eyes. "What happened?" Maura repeated.

"She texted me to pick her up from school, and when I got there, this Robin-chick was just beating her up." Jane swallowed hard and rubbed Riley's back while Maura examined the cut on Riley's lip. "That's all I know."

"Oh, baby…" Maura carefully took Riley's bottom lip and looked at it, concluding that it wasn't that bad. She moved her hands towards Riley's sides and looked into pained blue eyes. "Where do you have pain?"

Riley shrugged. "Stomach."

Maura lifted Riley's shirt out of her pants and looked at her sides, seeing several bruises forming there but nothing too alarming. The way Riley's ribs were sticking out shocked her and she wrapped her arms around Riley's too small waist to pull her into a hug. Riley's skinny arms wrapped around Maura's neck where they clung tightly.

"She got really mad 'cause you called the school," Riley whispered through her tears, hiding her face in Maura's shoulder. "She said she was gonna kick my ass after school and I got so scared and asked Ma to get me but…" Riley choked on her tears and strengthened her grip around Maura's neck. "She got to me anyway and she said all these awful things and I tried to ignore it like you told me to but it hurt so much and-…" Riley choked again and let out a heartbreaking sob, "and I punched her in the stomach and I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it! But she's so much stronger than me and she just started to beat me up like I was nothing but a stupid waste of space-…"

Riley sobbed into her mother's and Maura swallowed her tears. "Shh, my love. Calm down, sweetheart."

Maura kept her arms around her daughter as she gently led her towards the couch, bringing the girl with her as she sat down. "I'm so sorry, my love. I never meant to cause you any trouble."

Riley shook her head and curled up in Maura's arms. "'S okay."

Jane sighed and walked up to them with a glass of water and a bag of ice, offering both to Riley before she sat down on the coffee table. "They promised to take care of it," she said to Maura. "You couldn't have known it would be this counterproductive."

Maura nodded and felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had trusted the school in this. She didn't anymore. She kissed the top of Riley's head and adjusted the bag of ice to Riley's lip, feeling her daughter's trembling fingers under hers. She didn't know what to say. Someone hurt her daughter and she was mad. She was upset that the school didn't prevent this and she was angry at the person who hurt her child in such a deep way.

"Mom?" Riley's weak voice called out, lowering the ice so she could speak.

"Yes, love?"

"A-… Are you…" Riley took a deep breath and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. "Do I have to leave when I'm eighteen?"

The question startled Maura and she furrowed her brow, looking at Jane over Riley's head, seeing her wife shrugging. "What do you mean, baby? If everything goes according to plan, you'll be going off to college when you're eighteen…."

Riley let out a heartbreaking sob and clutched to her mother. "So I have to go?"

"Yes- No, you don't _have_ to, but…" Maura shook her head, utterly confused. "I'd like to see you going to college, yes. You're intelligent and smart and it would be a shame if you didn't."

Riley only sobbed harder.

"Baby," Jane said softly, reaching out to stroke Riley's messy hair. "What's going on?"

"R-Robin said you- you were only gonna be with me until I'm eighteen and-…" she hiccupped and hid her face into her hands, leaning into Maura's arms, "and then you were gonna make me leave and-…"

"Whoa, hey," Jane kneeled on the floor in front of Riley and took her daughter's face in her hands. "Don't believe a word of what that girl said to you!"

Riley cried softly and looked intently into Jane's eyes.

"We're not going to make you leave, baby," Jane said, her voice softer and loving. "You're our daughter. Yeah, you'll be going off to college and we're gonna cry our eyes out and miss you like crazy but you can _always_ come home."

Maura smiled a sad smile and felt tears trickling down her cheeks at her wife's loving words. "We'll always be your home, sweetheart," Maura whispered as she brushed some hair out of Riley's face. She gently took Riley's hand with the bag of ice in it, and carefully placed it back to her swollen lip. "Always. For the rest of your life, no matter how old you are."

"But I'm yours until I'm eighteen, right?" Riley averted her gaze and looked insecure.

"That's about legal guardian stuff," Jane waved her hand and smiled. "We're your parents for life."

"You know all this, Riley," Maura whispered softly. "Don't let her words make you doubt yourself, honey."

"She doesn't know what she's talking about." Jane smiled and placed her hand on Riley's knee, still kneeling in front of the girl. "She's just trying to find things to say so she can hurt you."

"There's no truth to any of it." Maura kissed Riley's temple and rubbed her back.

Riley nodded and adjusted the ice on her lip to lean back into Maura's side. "She was mean about you. She said I'm a mommy's girl and pathetic for needing you guys."

Maura tightened her arms around her daughter, feeling anger taking over. Riley groaned in her arms. "Mom, you're squishing me."

"I'm sorry." Maura sighed and loosened her tight grip. "She just makes me angry for saying such horrible things to you."

"I am a mommy's girl," Riley replied. Her voice was a soft whisper, but free from pain or anger. "But the difference is that she says it's a bad thing, and I don't think it is. If you never had a mother before, I think you automatically become a mommy's girl when you finally have one. Or, in my case, two."

Maura smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. "I don't like the term mommy's girl but you're my girl and I love you immensely, sweetheart."

Riley nodded and tucked her feet up on the couch, hissing from the pain in her side but snuggling into Maura's arms anyway. "I love you too," she whispered softly.

"Riley?" Lizzie's soft voice called out from behind the couch. Maura had totally forgotten about her. "Are you okay?"

Riley nodded weakly, but didn't reply. Maura sighed and smiled at her youngest daughter. "She's going to be fine, honey. She got hurt at school, that's all. We'll take good care of her."

"C'mere," Jane opened her arms and invited Lizzie in a warm hug, the girl standing in between her mother's legs in front of the coffee table as she looked at Maura and Riley.

"Has your lip blood?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah."

"Does it hurt?"

"A little." Riley shrugged and managed a small, unconvincing smile.

Maura stroked Riley's cheek and sighed deeply. She kissed the top of Riley's head and repeated the action of putting the bag of ice back against Riley's lip. "I love you so much, sweet girl," Maura whispered, partly to herself. "We won't let her hurt you anymore, my love. I promise you we will do everything in our power to keep her from you. My sweet girl."

Jane took a deep breath to calm herself down and stood up to give her wife a quick kiss, taking Lizzie's hand in hers. "I'm gonna call the school." 

Maura took Jane's hand and looked up at her, seeing protective anger in those familiar dark eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked softly. "Maybe we should all calm down first."

"I am calm." Jane pulled her hand away and Maura knew she was determined to get this over with. She wanted this Robin gone and no one could stop her. "I promise."

Maura nodded. "Okay."

Jane pecked Maura's lips, placed a kiss on Riley's head and grabbed her phone to look for the number of Riley's school. "Liz, wanna come with me?" she asked, ruffling Lizzie's blond curls.

"Why?"

"So we can give Mommy and Riley some rest." Jane winked at Maura and took Lizzie's hand who willingly followed her mother back into the kitchen.

Maura sighed and rested against the back of the couch while she pulled Riley in her lap. The girl was so small. She was skinny, too short for her age and tiny. Maura worried about her weight like she always had, but she loved how the girl was small enough to fit in her lap and curl up in her mother's arms.

Riley's head rested on Maura's chest and she was holding the ice against her lip as she slowly wrapped the fingers of her other hand around Maura's arm that was wrapped around her body. "I'm scared of her, Mom," Riley whispered barely audible. "I tried really hard not to be scared of her… But I am."

"It's okay, baby. I understand." Maura rocked her daughter back and forth and placed kisses on top of her head. "She made it her main purpose to hurt you. Nobody blames you for being scared."

Riley nodded and sniffled softly. Her tears were still slowly falling, breaking Maura's heart. Maura sighed and asked the question she knew she had to ask. "How long has this been going on?"

Riley shrugged and lowered the bag of ice that was slowly starting to melt. "Since the start of the year."

That was months ago. Maura swallowed hard as hot tears burned in her eyes. "You never told us it was this bad…"

"I don't want you to worry," Riley whispered as she fumbled with the ice. "I wanted you to think I was doing the strong thing and ignoring her and not let her bother me."

Maura nodded. She understood. She disagreed, but she understood. Riley knew she could've told them. But she wanted to appear strong. It wasn't about not being honest with them, it was about not wanting to seem weak for them. "You're so strong, my love," Maura whispered at lack for better words. "We know how strong you are. We know."

Riley sighed deeply and Maura wiped the girl's tears with her hand, gently stroking her cheek. Riley leaned into the touch and shivered slightly. "Thanks," she mumbled. She wrapped a skinny arm around her mother's arm and pulled herself even closer in the warm embrace. "I love you, Mom," she whispered. "I'm sorry for letting her get to me."

A tear trickled down Maura's cheek as she stroked her daughter's cheek with her thumb, her other hand rubbing the girl's back. "I love you too, pretty girl. You don't have to be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for. I love you so much, my baby. You did nothing wrong. Nothing."

They stayed silent for a while until Lizzie came walking back to the couch. She was holding a sheet of paper and looked shyly at them. Maura smiled at the little girl. "What is it, baby?"

"I made this for Riley," Lizzie said softly and hesitantly. She turned the paper around and blushed as she smiled.

Maura smiled brightly and felt Riley lifting her head to look at the picture. Lizzie drew two stick figures, a big one and a small one. She wrote 'Riley' and 'Lizzie' above them. She misspelled Riley, but Maura could only focus on the big heart in between them. She had drawn a colorful circle around the two sisters, along with flowers and sunshine.

"This is me," Lizzie said, getting a little more nerve when she saw the smiles on their faces, "and this is you. And the heart's 'cause I love you and the flowers is gonna protect you from the mean kids."

Maura watched when Riley took the painting from Lizzie, stains of tears on her cheeks as she smiled. Lizzie heard more of their conversation than they knew.

"Thanks, Liz," Riley smiled and ruffled Lizzie's hair. "It's beautiful." 

Lizzie grinned proudly and swayed back and forth on her heels. "Did it makes you feel better?"

Riley chuckled and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve while she moved off Maura's lap to sit next to her. "Yeah."

Lizzie's face broke out into a bright smile, her eyes sparkling as her entire being lit up. She looked at Maura with big, sparkling eyes. "I helped!"

"Yes you did, sweetheart." Maura laughed and cupped Lizzie's face to place kisses on her forehead.

"Maur," Jane called from the kitchen.

Maura looked at her wife and stood up to walk towards her in the kitchen. "What did they say?"

"They're going to get Robin into the director's office first thing tomorrow morning." Jane placed her phone on the kitchen counter and sighed. "He wanted the girls to talk to each other first but I said that wasn't an option."

"Who did you speak to?"

"The principal. They wanted to put me through to some kind of counselor but I eventually got to talk to him. His name's Stuart Johnson or something."

Maura nodded. She had heard that name before. But the look in Jane's eyes worried her. She looked angrier than she did before the phone call. "So, what's going to happen?"

"He wanted to sit them down and talk it out but I made it very clear that we're way past that point now." Jane gritted her teeth and looked at Riley and Lizzie who were now chatting about something on the couch. "Robin abused her and she should get suspended. But he said it _wasn't that simple_." Jane huffed and looked back at her wife. "I told him I could get Robin arrested but he wanted to take care of it first. So he's calling Robin's parents today and he's getting Robin into his office tomorrow morning to hear her side of the story."

"Okay." Maura nodded but she wasn't convinced. To her, there was only one side to this story, and that was her daughter's side. Who knew what kind of story Robin would come up with. But she knew the principal was dealing with this, and that made her feel more at ease.

"So she's staying home right?" Jane said, turning to grab a glass from the cabinet. "Until we know what's gonna happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're not letting her go there if Robin's still around, right?"

"I don't know, Jane," Maura shook her head and thought about how difficult it was for Riley to keep up in class, especially in math and science. If she missed too much, it was possible she's fail again. "I don't want her to get behind."

"I don't want her to get beat up!"

"God, lower your voice Jane!" Maura looked at Lizzie and Riley and sighed in relief when she saw that they didn't pay attention to them. "Riley can't afford to get behind in class."

"I don't care about that," Jane said, a little quieter this time. "I care about her safety."

"So do I!" Maura rubbed her forehead and leaned her hand on the counter next to her. "But I'm sure they're on high alert now."

"We thought that last time!" Jane's hands balled up into fists and she looked angry and protective. "She's not safe around that girl."

Maura sighed deeply. "You said yourself you thought you scared her off, Jane."

"Yeah, but I don't know that girl. She was pretty scared today but I don't think she will be tomorrow when Riley's all alone."

"She knows she's in trouble, doesn't she?"

"You think she cares about that?" Jane's voice was loud and angry and Maura felt a sting of hurt in her chest at her wife's tone. "You didn't see her today, Maur! She completely lost control! She was just beating in on her like she did this every day!

"Jane, please!" Maura warned her wife but she was too late.

Riley stepped towards them, looking scared and guilty. "Please don't fight because of me," she said softly.

Jane sighed and her muscles relaxed. She put her arms around her daughter and pulled her into her side while she stroked Riley's hair. "I'm not letting her go back to that girl, Maur," she whispered, this time soft and lovingly. "I promised I'd do anything to keep her safe."

Maura sighed. Jane was right. The school had promised to keep an eye on them before and they failed. As long as there was no final solution, Riley wasn't going there. "Let's just wait what the principal says tomorrow," she said softly. "And keep her home until then."

"If the school doesn't do anything about it, I'll make sure BPD will," Jane said with determination.

"I can ask Sarah to bring notes and homework and stuff," Riley said softly, looking at Maura from Jane's side. "So I won't get too behind."

Maura smiled and caressed Riley's cheek for a moment. She nodded. She knew Riley needed the classes and wouldn't be able to get all of it done with just notes and homework, but at least it was something. It was just for a few days, tops. Until a final solution was made.

Riley smiled but flinched when she stretched her lip too much. Maura hissed and stepped forward, carefully placing her fingers on Riley's lip to examine the swelling. "It doesn't look too bad," Maura smiled and brushed her thumb over the cut before cupping her daughter's cheek and kissing her forehead. "Just be careful with it so it doesn't get torn open."

Riley nodded and pulled herself away from Maura's touch, flinching in pain. "That will happen if you stop pulling on it."

Maura chuckled. "Oh, I barely touched it."

Riley smirked. "Yeah that's what all doctor's say until they start tearing out your guts and stuff."

Maura and Jane laughed and Maura was happy to see a genuine smile on her daughter's face again. "I wasn't planning to do anything to your intestines, honey."

"You better not!" Riley chuckled and opened the fridge to grab herself something to drink.

Maura stepped towards her wife and wrapped her arm around Jane's waist, wanting her to know that she wasn't upset with her. When she felt strong arms wrapping around her upper body, she turned and tightened their embrace, resting her head into the crook of Jane's neck where she placed soft kisses. They didn't need words.

She turned her head and smiled when she watched Lizzie walking into the kitchen, asking Riley for a drink, her sister pouring something for her and handing it to her with a sweet smile and a ruffle to her curls.

Her wife's strong arms, her familiar scent, the feeling of her body against hers, along with the smile of her oldest daughter and the innocence and cheerfulness of her youngest put Maura at ease. Things were far from fine, but the love that welled up in her heart was unconditional end never-ending. And that was all that mattered.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

It was late. The evening was cold and Jane walked through the kitchen to look for her wife who went upstairs to tuck Riley in an hour ago. She shivered from the cold air that blew through the window and closed it. Autumn in Boston was cold. Jane pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her hands and walked up the stairs.

Maura was standing in Riley's doorway, her back to her wife. Her shoulders were pulled up high, her arms wrapped around herself as she leaned against the doorframe. She was upset.

Jane carefully stepped behind her wife and placed her hand on Maura's arm, not wanting to scare her. Maura sighed and didn't even look at the brunette as she leaned into her front,

Jane's arms wrapping around her wife's waist. She kissed Maura's neck and took a deep breath. "You okay?"

Maura shook her head. She didn't reply.

"Maur.." Jane looked over Maura's shoulder and saw Riley curled up in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Her lip was swollen and her cheek was bruised.

"It's my fault," Maura whispered, her gaze locked on their sleeping daughter. "I shouldn't have called. She told me not to and I did it anyway."

"You were trying to help, you couldn't have known the school would fail like that."

"Riley knew." Maura's voice was soft and laced with tears. She was staring at their sleeping daughter while she clung to Jane's arms around her waist.

Jane sighed. She knew she couldn't talk this feeling of guilt out of Maura's head. She knew Maura thought she failed her daughter. "It's not your fault, honey," Jane whispered, resting her cheek against the side of her wife's head. "You were trying to make things better. You couldn't have known it would get worse."

Maura shook her head but Jane stopped her from protesting. "If you hadn't called, it would've gotten out of hand anyway. That girl would've continued bullying Riley and things would get worse eventually."

"So I just helped speed the process along." Silent tears were trickling down Maura's cheeks.

"No-… That's not what I meant, Maur. You did the right thing. You stood up for your daughter. The only one who failed is the school for not preventing this." Jane turned Maura around in her arms and cupped her wife's face. "It's not your fault."

Maura nodded even though Jane knew she didn't really believe it yet. She wrapped her arms around her wife and Jane felt Maura nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck. "This hurts me so much, Jane," Maura whispered softly. "Someone deliberately hurt our daughter. Someone took out time and effort just to hurt her. Why would someone do that?"

"Teenage girls can be downright evil." Jane shrugged and looked over Maura's shoulder at their sleeping daughter. "She just picked Riley because she helped Sarah break up with her."

"But why like this, Jane?" Maura whispered, turning herself in the embrace to look at Riley. "How did it get this far?"

Jane sighed deeply. She wished she knew. "I don't know."

"Do you know why she lost control?" Maura asked softly, her arms tightening around Jane's waist as she leaned into her wife's side.

"Yeah, 'cause Robin stabbed her with the most hurtful words possible."

Maura shook her head. "No," she whispered barely audible. "That wasn't the reason she eventually lost control and hit her."

"Then what is? She said something to you?"

"Yes." Maura swallowed her tears and closed her eyes. "Robin pointed her cigarette at her."

Jane felt a hurtful sting in her stomach. Cigarettes. The things her father used to burn her, hurt her, make her feel as worthless as possible. Robin didn't know that. But without knowing it, Robin hit the most painful spot she could have reached.

Maura shook her head and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I can't stand seeing her in pain," she whispered to no one in particular. "It hurts so much."

Jane felt tears in her eyes and wiped them with the sleeve of her sweater before wrapping her arms back around the blonde in her arms. "I don't think that ever gets easier," she replied softly.

Riley stirred in her sleep and shifted in her pillow. Her lips was swollen and a dark red cut was clearly visible in the dark of her bedroom. Her cheek was red and would have dark blue bruises soon. Her small, fragile body was bruised and battered because one girl decided to take her anger and frustration out on Riley.

"I'm not going to work tomorrow," Jane said softly after a few moments of silence.

Maura lifted her head to look at her wife, looking surprised. "You're not?"

Jane shook her head and shrugged. "I wanna stay with her. I think she can use a day with her moms."

Jane was surprised to see tears in Maura's eyes as she felt her wife's soft hand cupping her cheek. Jane smiled and looked into beautiful, shimmering hazel eyes in the dark. "What?"

"Nothing." Maura leaned in to press her lips against Jane's and kissed her quickly but lovingly. "I remember when nothing in the world could keep you away from your job." Maura smiled and rubbed Jane's cheekbone with her thumb. "You got shot and still insisted on going to work. You had a bad fever, you had been vomiting all night and you still went to interrogate suspects. Nothing could keep you home. Things have changed."

Jane nodded and thought about her wife's words for a moment. She was right. Her job wasn't the most important thing in her life anymore. She still loved her job. Without it, she wouldn't be who she was. But her family was more important. She knew Riley needed a day at home with her mothers. So that's what Jane would offer her. It wasn't that she liked staying home. She loved to go into work every morning and do what she does best. But Riley needed her. So she would be there for her daughter.

Jane sighed and smiled slightly. "If she needs me, I don't want to be anywhere else than with her."

Maura nodded and kissed her wife again. "I love you so much, Jane," she whispered as she rested her forehead against Jane's.

Jane smiled and hid her face into perfectly tamed blond curls. "I love you too." She kissed Maura's neck and pulled her close. "You gonna be home tomorrow too?"

"I'll try to make it home before lunch. I have a meeting with the medical board in the morning and I need to give my staff instructions about the new equipment in the lab."

"Hm, I love it when you talk like the boss you are." Jane smirked and placed an open mouthed kiss on Maura's neck.

Maura laughed and tugged on Jane's arm to lead them towards the hall. She silently closed Riley's bedroom door and pressed her wife up against the wall, tangling her hands in dark curls as she captured Jane's lips in a deep kiss.

Jane smiled into the kiss and hummed contently at the familiar taste and feel of her wife's lips and tongue. She lifted Maura's blouse and caressed the skin on her wife's back as the kiss deepened further.

"NO! STOP! NO!" Riley's loud whimpers startled the women and they quickly broke apart to hurry towards the noise in Riley's room.

Riley was squirming in bed, her eyes squeezed shut as she panted loudly. "No!"

"Baby," Maura sat on the edge of the bed and shook Riley's shoulder. "Honey, wake up!"

Riley didn't wake up. She kept on screaming and whimpering in her sleep. Jane sighed and turned around. She grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door shut as hard as she could.

Riley shot up in bed. "NO!" She looked frantically around the room.

Maura cupped Riley's face and looked into her eyes. "Baby, it's just a dream. It's okay, we're here."

Riley nodded, still panting. "He… He-…" She choked on her own breath and collapsed into Maura's arms.

"Shh, I know baby. I know." Maura kissed Riley's head and rubbed her back. "He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore."

Riley nodded against her mother and Jane saw her muscles relaxing. She walked towards the bed and placed her hand on Maura's shoulder. "Get her back to sleep," she whispered. "That's what works with me."

Maura smiled a sad smile. "I know." She kissed her daughter's cheek and brushed her hair out of her sleepy face. "Sleep, my love." She gently put Riley back down on the bed and kept rubbing her cheek with her thumb, her other hand on her daughter's stomach. "It was just a dream."

Riley's eyes closed and Jane saw her bruised face relaxing a little more. Maura kept her soothing strokes on the girl's cheek and stomach, slowly trying to lull Riley back to sleep. It only took a few minutes. She hadn't fully woken up and she was quickly back asleep, hopefully without nightmares. Maura kept her comforting strokes for a while until she was sure Riley was asleep.

She slept without nightmares for the rest of the night. Jane and Maura didn't sleep, but returned to other relaxing and thrilling activities before falling into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Jane slammed on the button of her alarm clock and groaned in annoyance. She didn't get enough sleep and she could easily sleep for another two hours. But Maura had to go to work and Jane had to take Lizzie to school.

She felt her wife sighing against her back as Maura's arms tightened around her stomach. She wiggled her back closer into Maura's front, enjoying the feeling of her wife's bare skin against hers. She closed her eyes and almost drifted back to sleep but of course Maura wouldn't let her.

"Babe, will you wake up Lizzie, please?" she asked, her voice sleepy and adorable.

Jane groaned. "Too early."

"Jane." Maura untangled herself from her wife and took her robe from the chair next to the bed. She got out and put it on, eliciting a disapproving moan from her wife as she lost the blonde's warmth.

Jane knew she had no choice and reluctantly got out of bed, shivering in the cold morning air. She put on a pair of sweatpants and threw a sweater over her head as she walked down the hall and into Lizzie's room.

It took her almost fifteen minutes to get the girl out of bed. Lizzie was definitely not a morning person. But, as soon as she was fully awake, she was bouncing around as her usual, cheery self.

"Can we have pancakes, Mama?" Lizzie asked as she bounced down the stairs, jumping with both her feet on the steps below her.

"No baby, we don't have time for that." Jane sighed at Lizzie's slow pace but smiled at her cheerfulness. "I'm sorry, it's gonna be cereal today."

"Fruit loops?"

"Yep."

"Can we have pancakes tomorrow?" Lizzie jumped off the last step and turned around to look at Jane.

"I don't know yet." Jane smiled and ruffled Lizzie's curls. She hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms and swung her through the air. "It's time for fruit loops now."

Lizzie giggled and wiggled her feet in the air. "I can flyyyyyyy…"

"Yeah you can," Jane smirked and put Lizzie on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. She kissed her head and turned to pour her daughter some cereal.

When she handed Lizzie a spoon, she was surprised to hear the doorbell ringing. "Who comes by this early?"

She opened the door and saw Sarah standing outside, looking like she just rolled out of bed. She smiled shyly. "I'm sorry for coming by so early."

"That's okay," Jane replied softly. She opened the door further and invited Sarah inside.

"Hi Sarah!" Lizzie waved at her sister's friend and spilled some milk on the kitchen counter.

"Hi, Lizzie." Sarah smiled but looked uneasy.

"What brings you here?" Jane asked.

"Riley." Sarah turned to look at Jane and fumbled with the zipper of her coat. "I heard what happened late last night and my parents wouldn't let me come here so I went before school…" Her bottom lip was shaking and she was trying to hold back her tears. "It's my fault, I should've been there, I knew what Robin was doing and I was so stupid that I ever even liked her…"

"Hey," Jane smiled and put her hand on Sarah's upper arm. Why did everybody blame their selves for this? "It's not your fault. It's Robin's fault."

Sarah nodded and swallowed hard. "How is she?"

"She's actually still sleeping. But she's okay." Jane walked into the kitchen to give Lizzie something to drink while she looked at the distressed teenager by the kitchen counter. "She's a little bruised, but she'll be fine."

Sarah nodded. "Good."

Jane sighed and gave the girl a small smile. "Normally I'd wake her for you but she really needs her sleep."

"No, I understand. It's okay."

"You're welcome to stop by after school, though. I'm sure Riley would love to see you."

Sarah smiled a grateful smile and Jane saw her shoulders relaxing. "I have a free period after lunch, is it okay if I visit then?"

"Of course." Jane smiled and handed Lizzie her drink.

"Thank you so much." Sarah sighed in relief and smiled a bright smile.

"No problem." Jane chuckled and looked at the clock on the wall. "You better hurry if you want to make it in time."

"Yeah. Thanks again!" Sarah turned around and smiled at Lizzie. "Bye, Liz."

"Bye!"

"Sarah," Jane stopped the girl before she could walk out the door.

"Yeah?"

"You're a good friend."

Sarah blushed and smiled shyly. "Thanks." She closed the door behind her, leaving the house silent.

"What was that?" Maura asked as she walked into the kitchen. She looked stunning in a white skirt and a pink blouse, her black heels on her feet, her hair perfectly styled as always.

Jane smiled at her beautiful wife. "Sarah. I don't know why, but it seems like I've been talking away feelings of guilt all the time." She smirked and kissed Maura's lips. "She thought it was her fault. Coming by after lunch to see Riley."

"Hm," Maura kissed her wife's lips again and stroked her cheek, "that's sweet."

"She's a good girl." Maura smiled and pecked Jane's lips before turning back to Lizzie. "Just like this baby here!" She brushed her hand through Lizzie's curls and placed a kiss on her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." Lizzie tilted her bowl to scoop out the last of her cereal.

"No headache?" Maura felt Lizzie's forehead even though Lizzie was pretty much fully healed from the flu.

"Nope."

"Stomach?"

"Good."

"Kiss?"

Lizzie chuckled and allowed Maura to press her lips against her cheek for a sweet kiss.

"Go brush your teeth, baby," Jane said as she poured herself some coffee.

Lizzie slid off her chair and sped off towards the stairs. Maura chuckled and walked around the counter back to her wife. "God, I missed that cheerful girl."

Jane nodded and wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulders, kissing her temple. "For a while, I doubted if we ever would see that girl again."

Maura hummed. "She's been through so much."

"We've got a pair of tough kids, Maur." Jane smiled and kissed her wife's beautiful smile.

"Yes, we do." Maura smiled and kissed her wife a last time before turning around to grab her laptop, putting it in her purse. "I'll call you when I can go home."

"Can't wait." Jane sipped her coffee and furrowed her brow when Maura put on her coat. "No breakfast?"

"I'm already late, Jane." Maura shook her head and hurried towards the kitchen for another sweet kiss. "I'll grab some on my way to work. I love you."

"I love you too."


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N I'm not familiar with the legal processes in America. A lot of you have been saying Robin could get arrested, but I went a different way. (Don't worry, she won't get away with it.) I hope you understand and let's all just keep in mind that this is just a fanfic and not meant to be entirely realistic ;). Thank you all so much for keeping up with this story! Your reviews mean a lot to me. This chapter is all fluff and nothing big, but a lot of people have been requesting happy family times, so I decided to write it. Please let me know what you think and as always, suggestions are welcome and thank you all from the bottom of my heart._

 **Chapter 27**

"What did they say?" Maura was clearing away the remnants of their lunch and she was eager to hear about the phone call Jane just had with Riley's school.

"Robin's parents have to come in this afternoon. They want to talk to Riley tomorrow."

"Why?"

Jane shrugged and leaned against the counter. "I'm pretty sure I could get her arrested, but he was pretty positive that Robin will be suspended. I think that might be enough for now. It'll go in her record."

"For how long will she be suspended?"

"He couldn't say."

Maura sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Changing schools wouldn't be good for Riley, she knew that. But staying at school with Robin wasn't an option either. "What about Robin's parents?"

"Turns out they don't really care what their daughter does at school. Dead end."

Maura shook her head and threw away an empty box. Jane was approaching this like a case. She was happy she did. If she approached this as Riley's mother, Robin wouldn't live to see another day.

"And?" Riley and Sarah walked into the kitchen. Riley looked insecure and afraid.

Jane sighed. "You have to see the principal first thing tomorrow morning."

"What? Why? She didn't do anything wrong!" Sarah placed her hands on her hips and looked truly angry.

"He just wants to have the full picture."

"I'll paint him a picture; Robin's a stupid b-…"

"Sarah," Riley interrupted her friend by slapping her arm, glancing quickly at Maura.

"He just wants to hear both sides of the story," Maura replied softly.

Sarah sighed and nodded. "You want me to go with you?"

"You weren't there."

"Still."

Riley smiled a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Jane offered to drive Sarah back to school, an offer she gratefully took. She said her polite goodbyes before leaving the house, leaving Maura and Riley for a free afternoon.

"Let me take a look at your lip," Maura said while she stepped towards her daughter. She checked Riley's split lip for infections and was happy to see none. "How are you feeling?"

Riley shrugged. "Tired."

Maura moved her hands from Riley's lip and brushed her hair out of her face. "Any pain?"

Riley nodded and pointed at her side. "Here, a little bit."

Maura lifted Riley's sweater and placed her hands on the spot Riley pointed out. She ruled out any broken bones yesterday, but some bruising appeared today. She pushed and gently examined Riley's side, fighting back her tears when she thought about Robin's feet that had kicked her there.

Riley flinched and grabbed Maura's wrists. "That hurts."

Maura hummed. "I think you have a bruised rib." She sighed and checked Riley's other side, grateful to see it was fine.

She lowered Riley's sweater and checked the bruising on her cheek before gently kissing it and wrapping her arms around her daughter.

Riley sighed as her own skinny arms wrapped around Maura's waist. "I don't want to talk to the principal," she whispered into her mother's shoulder.

"I know, my love." Maura rubbed Riley's back and pulled her close in her arms.

"What if he believes Robin?" Riley asked, her voice weak and insecure. "What if he doesn't believe me?"

"He will, honey. Your Ma and I both talked to him already. He'll believe you. And if he doesn't, we'll proceed to sue the school and arrest Robin."

Riley nodded and Maura felt tears wetting her blouse. "I'm so afraid of her, Mom."

Maura swallowed her tears and kissed the top of Riley's head. "I know. I know, sweetheart." She put one of her hands on the back of Riley's head and gently swayed them from side to side. "She won't hurt you again. We'll make sure. I promise."

Riley nodded again but she didn't reply. She clung to her mother and cried softly.

"How about we go for a walk in the park this afternoon?" Maura asked softly, gently rubbing Riley's back. "We could pick up Lizzie and go to the one with the pond?"

"Yeah." Riley pulled back and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. "Okay."

Maura cupped her daughter's face and looked into bright blue eyes. Those eyes that showed so much pain and too much maturity, but eyes that seemed to pierce right through your heart every time you looked into them. The blue eyes that showed she wasn't Jane or Maura's biological daughter but those eyes spoke of so much love in that moment, that Maura knew she loved her mothers to no end.

Maura pressed her lips against Riley's forehead. "I love you, sweet girl," she whispered between two kisses. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

Riley nodded and showed a sad smile. "Love you too."

A few hours later, the little family was walking into the beautiful park near Lizzie's school. It was quiet on a grey, Thursday afternoon. The air was chilly and Riley and Lizzie were lost in a conversation as they walked in front of their mothers.

Jane took Maura's hand and laced their fingers together as they walked along the path, enjoying the crisp autumn air.

After a few minutes of silence, Lizzie turned her head and slowed her pace to walk next to Jane. "Mama?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Riley says you was in love with Mommy forever, is that true?"

Maura chuckled and saw Riley giggling in front of them. Jane laughed as she ruffled Lizzie's curls. "Kind of. But I only met Mommy when I was thirty, so not really."

"Thirty?" Lizzie's mouth hung open as she stared at her mother, almost walking into a tree.

Jane laughed and pulled Lizzie's hand, guiding her back on the path. "Yeah."

"You was that long without Mommy?" The idea of her mommies being apart was unbelievable for the little girl.

"Yep."

"Why didn't you go find Mommy?"

"I didn't even know Mommy existed!"

Lizzie shook her head and looked up at Maura. "Why didn't you tell Mama?"

Maura laughed and guided her family towards a bench in front of a small pond. "I didn't know Mama back then, sweetie. I couldn't have."

"But…" Lizzie furrowed her brow, lost in thought. She stood in front of the bench as Maura, Jane and Riley sat down. "Was you in love with someone else?"

"No, baby." Jane smiled and squeezed Maura's hand. "I thought I was sometimes, but that wasn't real. I'm only ever truly in love with your Mom."

"But what'd you do then?" Lizzie was getting frustrated. She hated to not understand the situation. "How was you without Mommy?"

Jane laughed and caressed Lizzie's cold cheek. "I was a police detective, like I am now. And then Mommy came to work as the Medical Examiner, and that's when we met."

Lizzie nodded, her brow still furrowed as she tried really hard to understand how her mothers could ever have been spending time apart.

"And as soon as I saw Mama walk into my office, I knew she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen." Maura smiled and rubbed her thumb over Jane's knuckles.

"So then you got married?"

"No, that took us a few years. We first became best friends."

"Like Riley and Sarah?"

"Yes."

"So is Riley gonna marry Sarah?"

Jane laughed and reached out her arms to pull Lizzie up on the bench in between them. "No baby, Riley and Sarah are just friends."

"I don't understand!"

"Mama and I were first very good friends. I was secretly in love with Mama all that time, but Mama didn't know she was in love with me too." Maura smiled and brushed Lizzie's messy curls out of her face. "After a while, Mama realized that and then we got together and got married a few years later. And then you girls came and made our lives absolutely perfect."

Lizzie giggled. "Mama didn't know she loved Mommy?" She laughed harder and hit her own forehead with the palm of her hand. "That's stupid, Mama!"

"I think I've just been offended by my six-year old daughter." Jane tilted her head, eliciting a chuckle from Riley next to her.

"Yeah, Ma," Riley replied with a smirk. "Everyone knows you're in love with Mom."

"Back then I didn't!"

"Hm, yeah right." Riley laughed when Jane pinched her side and dodged a playful slap.

"Careful!" Maura stopped them. "You'll make the bruising worse. Stop it."

"Okay, okay." Jane held up her hands and quickly kissed her wife's lips.

Lizzie snuggled into Jane's warm side as her mother's strong arms wrapped around her. "Mama?"

"Hm?"

"Are you ever gonna be without Mommy again?"

"No, baby." Jane kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "Never."

"Good." Lizzie nodded in approval. "I think it's stupid that you was without Mommy."

Maura couldn't help herself to correct the little girl this time. " _Were_ , baby. You _were_ without Mommy. Not was."

"Oh. It's stupid that you _were_ without Mommy, Mama."

"Hm, I agree." Jane smiled and pursed her lips, leaning into her wife for a loving kiss. "So stupid."

Maura chuckled and pecked Jane's lips a few times before breaking apart and inhaling the fresh air. She felt a sense of bliss overwhelming her.

"Can we feed the ducks?" Riley asked after a few moments of silence.

"I didn't bring anything, baby," Maura answered.

Lizzie sprung up and grabbed her backpack from the bench. "I still have bread!"

"You didn't eat your lunch again?" Jane asked, her voice strict and confronting. "We talked about this, Lizzie!"

Lizzie blushed and looked down at her feet. "I ate the banana."

"You need to finish all of it and you know it." Jane placed her hand on Lizzie's chin and lifted her head, making the girl look into her eyes. "Tomorrow you're going to eat all of your lunch, okay?"

"Okay."

"Otherwise… No TV for a week."

"What?" Lizzie was about to protest but the stern look on Jane's face made her rethink that. "Okay."

"Promise?"

Lizzie nodded. "Promise." She climbed back up on the bench and wrapped her small arms around Jane's neck, something she did to persuade her mothers and take their anger away.

"You know I love your hugs but you still have to finish lunch." Jane said, accepting the embrace. "Okay?"

Lizzie nodded. "Okay. Can we still feed the ducks?"

Jane sighed and looked at her wife. Maura just smiled and nodded. The bread would be old anyway. The girls took off towards the pond and Maura saw Lizzie hesitating as soon as she got closer. The surface of the water looked dark and endlessly deep, even though it couldn't be more than a few feet.

Lizzie looked over her shoulder at her mothers, fear showing in her light brown eyes. Maura smiled a reassuring smile. "Go on, baby. Riley's with you."

She held her breath and shifted closer to Jane, not wanting to make a big deal out of the situation, but being very well aware of the fact that this was a big deal. If Lizzie went closer, she would get a little closer to getting over her fear. She hadn't been able to get into a bath ever since the accident and Maura knew that could take a while, but feeding the ducks would be a small step in the right direction.

Riley held out her hand and Lizzie hesitated a few moments before she took it. She slowly followed her sister towards the bank of the pond. "It's okay, Liz," Riley said to her sister. "I'm here with you. Nothing's gonna happen."

Riley's words seemed to comfort Lizzie and she took a piece of bread from her sister. She stayed a few feet away from the water to throw the bread to the ducks, but after a few minutes, she slowly got closer and after another few minutes she was standing next to Riley and laughing about the way the ducks were fighting over the bread.

"Look at her," Maura said with a loving smile, tears of happiness burning in her eyes. "She's so brave."

Jane nodded and wrapped her arms around her wife to pull her close into her side. Maura rested her head on Jane's shoulder and took one of Jane's hands away from around her to lace their fingers together. "Those are our daughters, Jane," she whispered softly. "Those beautiful, strong girls are our children."

She smiled at the way Lizzie's messy curls kept getting into her face, blown out of her ponytail by the wind. She watched Lizzie's small hands brushing her hair away, her young face breaking out into a smile when a duck missed a piece of bread or made a funny sound. She looked at those beautiful, light brown eyes that seemed transparent in the light of the watery sun that tried to peak through the heavy clouds. She averted her gaze towards her oldest daughter and chuckled when she saw Riley making a funny face at her little sister. The short, skinny teenager pulled her coat higher around her neck to get warmer and handed Lizzie a piece of bread as her piercing blue eyes sparkled. Her girls were so beautiful. So, so beautiful.

"Maur…" 

Maura felt Jane's warm hand wiping her cheek and realized that she was crying tears of happiness. She leaned into her wife's touch and closed her eyes. "We're so lucky, Jane," she whispered quietly.

"So lucky," she replied softly, staring at the beautiful blonde next to her. "So lucky to have our family."

Maura smiled as she kissed her wife, but the buzzing of Jane's phone interrupted their moment.

"Rizzoli."

Maura looked back at their girls and smiled when she saw Lizzie kneeling in the grass and pointing at a flower. She had moved away from the water again, but she looked happy and relaxed. Riley kneeled next to her sister, but she flinched in pain.

"Oh, honey don't!" Maura called to her, thinking about her bruised ribs.

Riley just nodded.

Jane put her phone back into her pocket. "Robin's changing schools."

"Really?" Maura's eyes widened. "How?"

"Principal said Robin could get arrested if they didn't suspend her for at least a few months. That scared her parents and now they're changing her to a different school. Parents didn't want to wait for the conversation with Riley. This isn't the first time something like this happened. Apparently they know what their daughter is like."

Maura sighed in relief, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. "Thank God."

"The fight goes in her record, so she'll have trouble getting into a good school."

Maura nodded and looked back at her oldest daughter, seeing her repressing a smile that would tear open her lip. "I don't even care."

Jane hummed and Maura saw a content smile on her wife's face. "Riley!" Jane called their daughter.

Riley looked up and walked towards them when Jane waved her hand. "Guess what?"

"What?" She shivered and sat on the bench next to Maura, looking expectantly at Jane.

"Robin is changing schools."

"What?" Riley's mouth fell open and she looked at Jane with surprise and disbelief in her eyes. "How?"

"Her parents are taking her off school."

"So… I don't have to go to the principal tomorrow?" 

Jane sighed. "Yeah, but he just wants to talk to you and see how this happened so they can hopefully prevent it in the future."

Riley huffed and leaned against the back of the bench, looking at Lizzie was making her way back to them. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Try to be positive, baby," Maura said softly as she tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "This scared them. Maybe things will change now."

"So it took them a beat-up kid to realize they have to get off their asses and do something?"

"Riley." Maura tilted her head and looked sternly at her daughter. "Watch your language and I'm serious, try to be positive. This is a good thing, okay?"

"Okay." Riley slumped down but hissed from the pain in her side.

"For Christ's sake baby, be careful!" Maura pulled Riley back up and kept her hand on the girl's side, keeping her from slumping down again. She shook her head. "You're so much like your mother."

Jane smirked next to her. "Yeah, she is."

"Mama! Mommy!" Lizzie walked up to them with a bright smile, her hands behind her back.

"Hey, baby," Jane greeted her lovingly. "What've you got there?"

"Present for you and Mommy." Lizzie grinned and held out a handful of dead flowers, grass and a few dandelions.

Maura smiled at the sight. "Oh, that's beautiful baby!" It was too late in the season for picking flowers, but she loved the little bouquet her daughter assembled. She reached out her arms and pulled the little girl in between her legs to kiss her forehead. "Thank you, pretty girl."

Lizzie grinned proudly and climbed up on Maura's lap to snuggle into warm arms. Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's temple. "How about we go home and put those in some water?"

Lizzie nodded and put her thumb in her mouth, not moving from her mother's warm lap. "'Kay."

Maura chuckled and pulled her daughter close as she kissed the top of her head. She stood up and swayed Lizzie through the air as she covered her cheeks in kisses, eliciting sweet giggles from the girl. Maura laughed and put Lizzie on the ground, taking her hand as they started walking back to the car.

She felt Jane's hand grabbing hers and lacing their fingers together and she saw Riley linking her arms with Jane's. Lizzie was chatting happily about her day at school. Riley was silent but Maura saw a content look in her eyes as she walked next to Jane and Maura felt a feeling of bliss warming her heart.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"That's right," Jane encouraged her daughter, "right between the ribs."

Riley punched the boxing dummy named George with all she had, letting out a low grunt.

"Good!" Jane smiled proudly. She turned around and looked at Riley. "Again. Ribs, crotch, knee to the face."

Riley followed Jane's instructions without replying. After Riley was fully healed from the incident at school, Maura and Jane had decided it would be good for her to learn some self-defense. She was short and skinny and didn't have a lot of strength, but if she learned to use it well, she would hopefully be less afraid.

"Now, this is only gonna work for a man," Jane said to her panting daughter. A piercing rage showed in her blue eyes and she was focused and determined, her sweaty body heaving from the effort. "For a girl like Robin, you go for the stomach."

Riley nodded.

"It doesn't matter if you're shorter as long as you use your strength well, remember?" Jane stepped behind her daughter and put her arms around her from behind, one hand on Riley's throat, the other around her stomach. "What do you do?"

Riley grunted and shot her elbow back with force, but not enough to hurt her mother. Jane bent over, Riley turned, pulled up her knee to Jane's face and stepped away, ready to run.

Jane got back up and smiled. "Amazing."

Riley panted and smiled a proud smile.

Jane chuckled and stepped forward to press a quick kiss to Riley's sweaty forehead. "Let's take a break."

"No Ma, let's go again. I'm not tired."

"You sure?" Jane asked as she tilted her head. "You look tired."

Riley shook her head. "I'm finally on a roll now."

Jane shrugged and stepped away to grab a bottle of water from the floor. She threw it towards her daughter. "At least drink something."

Riley downed half the bottle, threw it back and walked back to George. She started beating it like Jane had been teaching her all Saturday-afternoon. Jane watched her daughter taking her anger out on the dummy. The girl was dressed in her soccer-shorts, a tank-top and her hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head. Sweat was trickling down her back as she poured all her pent-up rage into her punches. This was good for her. She had been quiet and withdrawn lately.

After a few minutes, Jane saw Riley's muscles quivering and her legs shaking. She walked towards the girl and placed her hand on Riley's back. "Okay, it really is time to stop now, baby."

Riley shook her head.

"You've been at it for hours now, Riley." Jane pulled her daughter away from the boxing dummy. "We're done for today."

"No, I'm fine!"

"Riley," Jane voice was strict and she used her strong arms to turn her daughter away from George. "I'm serious. We're done."

"NO!" Riley yelled, her hands balling into fists. "I have to get stronger! I HAVE TO BE STRONGER!"

Riley's anger startled Jane. She carefully moved her hands away from Riley's arms and cupped her angry face. "You will get stronger and I will help you, I promise. But if you keep going now, you will overdo it and harm yourself."

Riley's pants slowed down and she nodded weakly.

"Nobody's gonna hurt you, baby. Robin's gone and the other girls are in detention for months to come and they're too afraid to even look at you. You're safe."

Riley nodded again and lowered her head. Jane smiled a sad smile and pulled Riley into her arms. "You did a great job. I'm proud of you."

"Can we train again tomorrow?"

Jane chuckled. "No, baby. Your muscles need a day rest. You're not used to these kind of activities." She kissed Riley's forehead and stepped away to grab her daughter's sweater. "Monday, okay?"

"Okay."

"Put this on, otherwise you'll cool off too quickly." She handed Riley her sweater and followed her out of the room into the kitchen.

Maura smiled at them as she looked up from whatever she was preparing in a baking dish. "How'd it go?"

"Great." Jane pecked Maura's lips and squeezed her side. "Riley's a tough one. No one's coming close to her again or she'll kick your butt."

"Did Mama teach you to fight?" Lizzie asked from the dinner table, looking at her sister with wide eyes.

"Yep." Riley grinned proudly.

"Can you teach me too?" Lizzie sat up on her knees and bounced hopefully, looking at Jane with wide eyes.

"Oh, I don't think you need it, Liz." Jane smirked and ruffled Lizzie's curls. "You can kick butts all on your own."

"Jane," Maura glared at her wife, "don't encourage her."

Jane chuckled and started setting the table for dinner. After dinner, both women decided to try to get Lizzie into a bath again. After her careless moments at the park, maybe she would be less afraid. They hadn't had the time to try yet, so it was a good opportunity.

Jane took Lizzie upstairs towards the bathroom. She pulled Lizzie's sweater over the girl's head on their way.

"Do I have to go in the bath, Mama?"

Jane smiled a reassuring smile and helped Lizzie stepping out of her pants. "You don't have to. But would you like to try?"

Lizzie shrugged and Jane saw insecurity on her daughter's face. "I don't know."

Jane kneeled in front of Lizzie and caressed her cheek. "Mommy and I are going to help you, baby. It's okay if you're afraid."

Lizzie nodded. Jane smiled a proud smile and kissed her daughter's forehead. She turned on the water and poured in some bath foam to make the water look less scary. She sat down on her knees in front of the tub and put her arm around her small daughter's waist.

She reached out and grabbed Lizzie's Spiderman toy from the floor. "How about we give Spiderman a bath first?"

Lizzie smiled nervously and nodded. She took the toy from her mother and carefully lowered it into the tub while she stepped closer. Jane watched her face closely and took a handful of foam and placed it on top of Spiderman's head. "Foam hat?"

Lizzie laughed and took a piece of foam on her finger. She put it on the bottom of Spiderman's face. "Foam beard?"

Jane chuckled and was happy to see no hesitation in Lizzie's movements when she took the foam out of the tub. She gently took Lizzie's hand in hers and lowered Spiderman in the water. Lizzie jerked when her hand touched the surface of the warm water.

"Spiderman's a really good swimmer," Jane said, trying to distract Lizzie. She moved Lizzie's hand with the toy through the water as if Spiderman was swimming.

Lizzie nodded but her smile fell. "Like me?"

"Yeah," Jane whispered gently, "just like you."

After a few moments of silence Maura walked into the bathroom, smiling when she saw Lizzie standing closely next to Jane, her wife's arm wrapped around her daughter's small waist and caressing her belly.

"Spiderman's swimming, Mommy," Lizzie said with a slight smile.

Maura hummed and sat down on the edge of the tub while she brushed Lizzie's curls out of her face. "I see."

Lizzie's face looked tense. She knew why she was here. Jane felt the girl's muscles tensing. "Would you like to try?" she whispered softly.

"I'm scared, Mama."

"I know you are, baby. That's okay." Jane caressed Lizzie's cheek and looked at light brown eyes, filled with fear.

"How can we help you, honey?" Maura asked softly. "What can we do to make it less scary?"

Lizzie shrugged. The question was too difficult for her. "I don't know."

"Would it help if Mama or I got in with you?"

Lizzie shrugged again.

"Would you like to try to stand in the water again, like last time?"

Lizzie looked up at Maura and nodded. "With you?"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

Maura nodded. She took off her shoes and pulled up her dress a little over her knees before carefully stepping into the tub. Jane hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms and lifted her into Maura's open arms. Lizzie only looked down at the surface of the water. She looked fearful.

"The water is not going to hurt you, baby," Jane said with a smile as she caressed Lizzie's curls. "We're here. Nothing's going to hurt you."

Lizzie nodded. Her small hands were gripping Maura's dress, her knuckles white from squeezing.

Maura slowly, very carefully lowered he girl. Lizzie was still gripping Maura's dress and jerked when her feet touched the surface of the water, but she didn't stop her mother.

"You're so brave, baby," Jane said with a proud smile, encouraging the little girl. "You're doing such a great job."

Lizzie's bottom lip was trembling as Maura lowered her daughter up to her knees into the water of the tub. Lizzie still wasn't protesting.

Maura's hands were under Lizzie's arms and Lizzie slowly let go of Maura's dress, but the loss of connection was too much for her. She squirmed back up into Maura's arms and shook her head.

"If you say stop, we'll stop," Maura said softly as she pulled Lizzie back up to her chest.

"You gotta go with me, Mommy," Lizzie said, now crying softly. "I don't wanna go alone."

Jane looked at her wife and saw tears in her big, hazel eyes. Maura nodded and turned her back towards Jane. "Unzip me?"

Jane helped her wife out of her expensive dress and watched Lizzie clutching her arms back around her mother. "You're so brave, honey," Jane repeated, "I'm proud of you for not giving up. You're amazing."

Lizzie nodded weakly. She shivered when Maura gently lowered herself on her knees, bringing Lizzie with her. Lizzie clung to Maura's neck and lifted her knees, silently crying when she was lowered into the water up until her thighs.

"Are you okay?" Maura whispered, resting her cheek against Lizzie's temple. "Just say stop and we'll stop, okay?"

Lizzie nodded but didn't say stop. She was now up to her waist in the warm water. As soon as Maura lowered herself further and the water started going up her stomach towards her chest, Lizzie panicked. Her breathing quickened and she squirmed in Maura's arms.

"Stop!" she sobbed into her mother's neck.

Maura immediately stood back up and pulled Lizzie higher in her arms, away from the water. Lizzie was crying loudly, heartbreaking whimpers of fear muffled by Maura's curls. Maura stepped out of the tub and hugged Lizzie closely in her arms. "I'm here, love. It's okay."

Jane rubbed Lizzie's bare back and kissed the back of her head. "I'm so proud of you, baby. You're very brave. You did a great job." She grabbed a towel and put it around her crying daughter before grabbing another one to wrap around her wife.

"Shh, my love," Maura whispered soothingly, gently swaying the girl from side to side in her arms. She placed her hand on the back of Lizzie's head and held her close to her front. "You're so brave. I'm so proud of you, my sweet girl. It's okay to be afraid, it's perfectly okay."

"I- I-.. I'm sorry, Mommy," Lizzie hiccupped and her tears streamed down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Oh, don't be sorry. You don't have to be sorry," Maura swallowed her tears and smiled when Jane put down the lid of the toilet and guided her to sit down.

Maura sat and pulled her daughter with her, holding the little girl close in her lap. "I understand how scary it is, baby. I know you're afraid."

Lizzie nodded and her breath hitched in her throat. "It- It's scary when the w-water comes t-to my face."

"I know, honey." Maura kissed Lizzie's head and looked up at her wife with pleading, shimmering eyes.

"The water in the bath is not going to get to your face, baby," Jane said softly as she kneeled next to her wife and youngest daughter. "It's not going to hurt you. I know you're afraid and it's okay to be afraid. I understand, we all understand."

Lizzie just nodded as her breathing slowed down. Maura kissed her head and combed her fingers through her messy curls, trying to soothe her crying daughter. "Calm down, my love," she whispered, her voice laced with all the love in the world, reserved for the little girl in her arms. "Mommy's here. I'm here. I love you so much, pretty girl. I love you, my sweet, sweet baby. I'm so proud of you."

Maura's soft, soothing words comforted Lizzie and she slowly started to calm down. The fear disappeared from her eyes and her muscles started to relax. Jane nodded at her wife, silently telling her to continue her loving words to calm Lizzie down.

"I wish you knew how much we love you, sweetheart," Maura whispered. "Every single time you call me 'Mommy' and every time you smile, give us a hug or laugh at something… I just feel all happy inside because I know you're my daughter."

Jane couldn't wipe the loving grin of her face as she looked at her beautiful wife, listening to her mushy, loving words that she would normally make fun of but seemed appropriate and just right in this moment. Maura's hazel eyes were sparkling and filled with the kind of love she reserved for her children.

"You make us so happy, Lizzie," Maura continued with a smile. "You brightened our lives and you make everything so much better. It's okay to be afraid of the water. You took a big step today."

"D-do I have-… have to try again?" Lizzie asked weakly.

"No, my love."

Jane shook her head and pressed her lips against Lizzie's temple. "You did an amazing job today. We can try again whenever you want to."

"Tomorrow?"

Jane smiled proudly and felt tears in her eyes. This little girl was a fighter. A strong, brave fighter. "Yeah."

"Is you gonna help me?"

"Of course." Jane brushed Lizzie's curls back and looked into light brown eyes as Lizzie turned her head on Maura's chest. "We'll always help you. You never have to do it alone."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

It was an early, lazy Sunday morning and Maura was laying on the couch, her back against the armrest, her legs stretched in front of her, a sleepy six-year old on her chest. Lizzie woke up from a bad dream earlier and Maura decided to take her downstairs to get her mind off the awful images she apparently experienced. They watched the first part of a movie before Lizzie fell asleep on top of Maura, her front against her mother's, her cheek resting on Maura's warm chest.

They had absolutely no plans for today and Maura loved it. Life had been rushed and busy lately and she craved a day with her family. Maura looked at the early morning sun that was shining through the windows. Leafs were falling down from the trees. Autumn had arrived and turned Boston cold, but filled with warm colors.

Maura shivered and pulled the blanket higher around her daughter and herself. She felt Lizzie's warm breaths on her chest. Her thumb had fallen out of her mouth and her hand rested on her mother's stomach. Maura smiled. It felt like she was holding a little baby and even though Lizzie was six, she loved to imagine having her as a baby. She loved her children wholeheartedly and more than anyone she'd ever loved in all her life, but sometimes she wished she would have given birth to them. She imagined holding a newborn Riley. She imagined seeing her grow up into this wonderful, beautiful girl she turned out to be. She imagined a toddler with messy blond curls, a baby with those light, sparkling brown eyes.

She chuckled when Lizzie started snoring softly. It didn't matter. None of that mattered. She had two gorgeous, amazingly sweet daughters. She never got to carry them but they were hers. No matter what.

Maura closed her eyes and a light smile curled her lips as she felt the sun on her face. She rested her head against the cushions on the back of the couch as her hand slowly moved up and down Lizzie's back.

"Shh, you'll wake them!"

Maura woke up hearing her wife's husky chuckles, along with Riley's sleepy voice. "Your fault!"

Maura smiled but kept her eyes closed.

"You wanna play some soccer later?" Riley asked, this time more quietly. "Coach taught us a cool trick last week."

"Hm, sure." Jane's voice was laced with a proud smile. "Where are you in the tournament?"

"Third. But there are enough games left to get to first. Although, we do have to make sure we don't lose more than one game."

"You're on a roll this season."

"Hm hm," Riley hummed with her mouth full of food, probably fruit loops. "Coach says he's got a good feeling. But he had that last season too and we ended third."

"That's not so bad."

"I think we can do better this season."

"With you in the team, hell yeah."

Riley giggled. "If Mom were awake she'd so bust your ass for that."

"Whoa hey, for that too!" Jane's whispers grew louder and Maura heard the smile in her voice.

Maura had to try her best not to smile and carefully lowered her head into Lizzie's messy curls. She pulled Lizzie close in her arms but she suddenly felt her daughter's breaths quickening and her muscles tensing. Lizzie gasped and squirmed in Maura's arms, whimpering as a nightmare haunted her dreams.

"Shh, wake up baby," Maura gently shook Lizzie's shoulders. "Wake up honey, it's just a dream!"

Lizzie's eyes snapped open and she lifted her head to look around the room. Maura cupped the girl's face and looked into fearful brown eyes. "Hi." She smiled and stroked Lizzie's cheek with her thumb. "Bad dream?"

Lizzie nodded, trying to calm down. Maura kept her soothing strokes on Lizzie's cheek. "It was just a dream, honey."

Lizzie nodded again, too sleepy to reply.

"Two bad dreams in one night, baby. I thought your sister was the one with the nightmares." Maura smiled sweetly and kissed Lizzie's forehead. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded and rested her cheek back on Maura's chest. She sighed deeply and nuzzled into her mother's warmth.

"What did you dream about?" Maura whispered, hearing Jane and Riley chatting in the kitchen.

"You and Mama were gone and I was all alone."

Maura hummed and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "That must've been scary."

"Yeah."

"You're not alone, honey."

Lizzie shook her head. "Nope."

"You'll never be alone, you know that right?"

"Except for when you and Mama are gone."

"Well, you still have Riley, and Grandma Angela, and Uncle Frankie, Uncle Tommy, TJ…" Maura smiled as she rubbed Lizzie's back. "You have a lot of family now. You think they are ever going to leave you alone?"

Lizzie chuckled softly. "No."

"That's right." Maura kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "And besides that, Mama and I are never going to leave you alone. We'd be a total mess without you!"

Lizzie giggled again, a sound that made Maura's heart jump. "Nooo."

"Yes!" Maura shifted to sit up a little more against the armrest, linking her fingers together behind Lizzie's lower back. "Then who will unload the dishwasher?"

Lizzie gasped. "I only does the bottom part! I can't reach the glasses!"

"Yes, and we will have to do that all by ourselves if you weren't around anymore."

Lizzie shook her head, searching for a clever reply. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat up on Maura's upper legs. "I'm gonna go away and then you have to do all of it."

Maura laughed and pulled her daughter back down to her chest. "I was just joking, baby." She wrapped her arms around the little girl and chuckled when Lizzie huffed in disbelief.

"Mama doesn't like doing the dishwasher."

"That's right!" Jane called from the kitchen. "That's why we adopted you!"

Maura laughed and shook her head. "Don't listen to Mama, Lizzie. We could never live without your laughter, your lovely cheerfulness, your beautiful drawings, your sweet hugs and beautiful character…"

Lizzie nodded as her giggles faded. "I forgot I'm ad-adodded."

" _Adopted_ , baby." Maura lifted her upper body against the armrest of the couch. "I forget that too sometimes."

"I was born in my first Mommy's belly, right?"

Maura nodded. "Yes."

"Has you ever had a baby in your belly?"

"No, honey." Maura smiled a sad smile and brushed Lizzie's messy curls out of her face. "We adopted you and Riley, remember?"

Lizzie nodded and looked down at Maura's flat stomach, shifting on Maura's legs. "You never wanna have babies in your belly?"

Maura swallowed and shook her head. "No, sweetheart. We have you and Riley. You're our babies."

"But we wasn't in your belly."

"No, but that doesn't matter."

Lizzie nodded and her thoughts jumped to a different subject. "How does the baby get out of the belly?"

Maura's eyes widened and she looked at Jane in the kitchen who was listening to their conversation with a sweet smile, but her smile fell at Lizzie's question. "Well…" Maura hesitated. "The female body has very ingenious ways to send a baby into the world."

"What?"

Jane chuckled and decided to interfere. She hooked her arms under Lizzie's and lifted her off the blonde. "That's a question for later, baby. We'll explain to you when you're old enough."

"Does the baby open the belly? With a scissors?"

Jane laughed. "In horror movies, yeah."

"Jane, don't scare her!" Maura stood up from the couch and stretched her aching muscles, stiff from sleeping in an unfamiliar position.

Riley chuckled at the kitchen counter. "Nobody'd be having babies if that's what would happen."

"Oh, I'm not eager to have them the normal way either." Jane smirked and sat Lizzie down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Well, be glad you don't have to." Maura walked towards her oldest daughter and kissed her cheek to greet her good morning. "We already have our hands full with two beautiful children."

Lizzie seemed to be letting the question go as Jane poured her some cereal. Maura tilted her head. "Please, give her the whole wheat raisin bran next time? This is just filled with sugar and bad for her bowels."

Jane sighed. "It's Sunday. Aren't raisins for weekdays?"

"Health is for every day, Jane." Maura shook her head and reached up to press a kiss to her wife's lips. "Good morning," she whispered.

Jane smirked and captured Maura's lips in a longer kiss that lingered for a few lovely moments. "Morning."

"You look beautiful," Maura smiled and let her gaze wonder across Jane's loose sweater and skin-tight jeans that hugged her slim legs perfectly. Her hair was falling loosely around her shoulders, curls messy as ever. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Really? I didn't even try." Jane chuckled and pecked her wife's lips again.

"Hm, you don't need to. You're beautiful all on your own."

"Mommies?" Lizzie interrupted their moment, lost in thought again. "Is you never getting babies in your belly 'cause you're lesbinums?"

Maura smiled and closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against Jane's. Jane chuckled. "How do we get her to stop asking questions?"

"By answering them." Maura smiled and turned to face Lizzie. "No, honey. Being a lesbian just means you're attracted to women, it doesn't mean you don't want babies in your belly."

"Can lesbinums make babies in the belly?"

Maura flinched and sighed. "Yes. There are very smart doctors that found several ways to help make babies."

"Can doctors give you and Mama babies?"

"Yeah," Jane took Riley's empty cereal bowl and put it in the dishwasher. "But we don't want that 'cause we already have you and Riley."

"What if I wanna be a big sister like Riley?"

Maura tilted her head and looked at her wife. They had never talked about having a third child. Two was enough right now. Yes, Maura loved the idea of having a lot of children and even possibly a baby in the house, but she knew they had their hands full with just Riley and Lizzie.

"Are you thinking about getting another kid?" Riley asked, excitement in her voice.

"No," Jane laughed and shook her head. "I don't know where this is all coming from, Liz. We're busy with you two chipmunks already."

"I'm not a chipmunk!"

Jane chuckled. "No, you're not. You're way cuter."

"Would be cool to be with three kids." Riley shrugged.

"You think so?" Jane asked her, tilting her head.

"Sure. But…" she shook her head and changed her mind. "Liz and I would have to share all your hugs with a third kid. That's not gonna work, right Liz?"

Lizzie shook her head and lifted her chin into the air. "Nope. Mommies' hugs are aaalll mine."

"And mine."

"Nope. Mine."

"Mine too!"

"Nope. Only mine."

"Not fair!" Riley attacked Lizzie from behind, tickling her sides and stomach, eliciting loud squeals and giggles.

Lizzie laughed and squirmed free from her sister. She jumped on the floor and ran towards Maura, who was standing closest. She grabbed her mother's leg and hid behind her back. "Nooo!" she squealed.

Riley chased her sister and Lizzie ran around Maura to get away. Lizzie laughed loudly, throwing her head back when Riley almost ran into the kitchen counter, dizzy from running in circles around her mother.

Maura chuckled and hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms, lifting her off the floor in her arms. She stopped Riley from running around and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "See? I'm perfectly capable of hugging both of you."

Lizzie was still giggling and squeezed her short arms around Maura's neck while she wiggled her feet, trying to kick Riley who was tickling her stomach. Maura groaned. "Oh girls, stop that please! Lizzie's getting too heavy for this."

"Yeah!" Lizzie said, sticking out her tongue. "I'm getting too heav-… what?" She turned her attention towards Maura, looking offended. "I'm not heavy!"

Maura laughed and pressed a quick kiss on Lizzie's cheek. "You are when you start fidgeting like that."

"I'm smallest in my class!"

"Yes, but you're still a big girl. You're six!"

Lizzie thought about that for a moment and dropped the argument. Riley sat back down at the counter, a content smile on her face as Lizzie snuggled her face into the crook of Maura's neck. "Am I really too heavy, Mommy?"

Maura smiled and rubbed Lizzie's back, sharing a loving look with her wife. "No, my love. I just can't hold you up when you start squirming and kicking around, that's all."

"Sorry."

Maura peppered the side of Lizzie's face with kisses, eliciting sweet giggles from the girl. "I love you, my big girl."

"Love you too, small Mommy." Lizzie giggled proudly at her own joke and hid her face into Maura's blond hair as she felt her mother tickling her side.

"I'm not small! I'm just a little below average. Mama's just tall so I seem short."

"Oh." Lizzie shook her head and didn't even try to understand her mother's words.

She started to squirm free but Maura kept the girl in her arms. "Not yet."

Jane chuckled and moved a cup of coffee towards her wife on the counter. "You've been cuddling that kid for hours, Maur." She smirked and pecked Maura's lips.

"Hmm, I know." Maura chuckled when Lizzie just tightened her grip around her neck. "She doesn't seem to mind, though."

Jane shook her head and turned to face Riley. "You ready for some soccer?"

Riley nodded and jumped off her chair. "You bet."

"Put on something warm, please!" Maura called after Riley as she hurried out of the kitchen.

"Can we go too, Mommy?" Lizzie asked her mother.

Maura hummed and pursed her lips. "How about we go get changed out of our pajamas and meet Mama and Riley there?" She rubbed Lizzie's pajama-clad belly.

Lizzie nodded. "'Kay!" She squirmed out of Maura's arms and hurried upstairs to get changed.

Maura laughed and stepped towards her wife to give her a quick kiss. "Make sure Riley drinks enough water. She forgets."

Jane nodded. "Will do."

"I'm just going to get a quick shower and Lizzie and I will meet you there." Maura smiled and kissed Jane's lips again.

"Great." Jane turned around and watched Riley walking back into the kitchen. "You ready?"

Riley nodded and threw the ball towards her mother, eliciting a glare from Maura. "Not in the house!"

Jane threw the ball back and put on a sweater. "Jane!" Maura said, "I said not in the house. Get out, you two!"

Riley laughed and kissed Maura's cheek before heading outside towards the field a few blocks away.

An hour later, Maura and Lizzie were walking onto the empty field. The small soccer field was only a ten minute walk from the house, it had two small goals and it was currently empty except for a competitive Jane and Riley. Lizzie was chatting happily, bouncing around her mother all the way there, her nightmares completely forgotten.

"Mamaaaa!" Lizzie called from a distance, letting go of Maura's hand to run onto the field. She almost knocked Jane over as she ran into her legs.

"Hey, peanut." Jane smiled and stopped the ball under her foot.

"Liz! Wanna play a game, us against Mom and Ma?" Riley ran towards Maura and accepted a quick hug while she looked at her sister.

"Yeah!" Lizzie grinned and bounced happily. "We're gonna beat them!"

Riley chuckled and used her skilled legs to take the ball away from Jane. "Mom, you up for it?"

Maura hummed and shrugged off her coat, dropping it next to her bag as she chased her daughter for the ball. "Whoa Mom, you're fast!" Riley's jaw dropped as Maura ran after Riley.

Jane laughed and took the ball away from Riley, passing it to Maura who had some trouble stopping it, but managed to dribble it across the field after a second. "Yeah," Jane panted as she followed Maura towards the goal, "all that yoga's good for something!"

They passed the ball back and forth for a long time, making sure to give Lizzie enough chances to get into the game with her short legs. Soccer wasn't Maura's strong point, but she was fast and had strong, yoga-toned legs and along with Jane's long legs and speed, they made a pretty good team. However, Riley would be able to beat both of them if she wanted to.

Riley almost tackled her mother and took the ball to pass it to Lizzie. "GO FOR THE GOAL, LIZ!"

Lizzie bounced on her short legs across the field, losing the ball twice. Jane had to hold herself back from getting it from her, allowing Lizzie to score a goal.

Lizzie's eyes went wide before her entire face lit up with a proud smile.

"YEAH!" Riley cheered loudly and ran towards her sister, scooping the girl up in her arms along the way as they ran a victory round across the field, Riley's legs straining to hold the weight of a six-year old.

"I scoooooooored!" Lizzie yelled as Riley let go of her. The girl ran towards her mothers and bounced with happiness.

Maura heard her wife's husky chuckle as the brunette walked up behind her. "Yeah, you did."

"Liz, Liz!" Riley said, running back to her sister. "You gotta do the wave!"

Jane's arm wrapped around Maura's shoulders as they watched their daughters performing a mini-wave in celebration of Lizzie's goal. Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and felt her heart bursting with happiness, both women laughing when the girls ran back to the field, almost knocking each other over.

"They're so happy," Maura said softly, happy tears springing to her eyes.

Jane hummed and pressed her lips against her wife's temple. "They are."

They stayed silent for a few moments while Lizzie chased Riley for the ball. Suddenly Jane sighed and looked at her wife. "Maur," she said softly.

"Hm?"

"You really think three kids is too much?"

Maura turned her head and looked into deep, brown eyes. "I don't think I've said that…"

"No… But… That was my way of asking your opinion on having three kids."

Maura sighed and shook her head, smiling when she turned her attention back to the girls. "I'm not sure. Like this, I think we can definitely handle three kids. But if they keep falling into canals, get bullied at school, wake up from nightmares…" Maura sighed and chuckled when Lizzie tripped over the ball. "We have enough love for all the kids in the world, I know we do."

Jane hummed and tightened her arms around her wife's upper body. "I'm not saying we should get another kid anytime soon."

Maura shook her head. "I know." She smiled and reached up to press a kiss to Jane's lips. "Three kids is a lot."

"I know. I was the first of three."

"And you all turned out fine." Maura smiled and snuggled into Jane's side, getting cold in the autumn-air. "We would love another child with all our hearts. Just like we love our girls."

"MOMS!" Riley yelled from across the field. "You wanna snuggle over there or play some soccer?"

"She's not going to accept the snuggle-option, is she?" Maura asked, hiding herself in Jane's arms for a moment.

Jane chuckled. "Nope."

Maura sighed and let go of her wife to head back to their daughters, stopping Lizzie for a moment to kiss her head, hurrying towards Riley to press a kiss to her cheek before going back to their competitive soccer games. The girls won all of them.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"Mama," Lizzie walked up to Jane and tugged on the hem of her blue button-up, "Riley doesn't want to play with me."

"I told you, I have homework." Riley sighed and shook her head as she turned a page of her book.

Jane smiled at her youngest daughter and caressed her blond curls. "Riley's busy, honey."

"Do you wanna play with me, Mama?" Lizzie looked up at her mother with pleading brown eyes and Jane was almost tempted to give in.

"I have to make dinner, baby. Otherwise we'll all be starving tonight." She hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms and placed her on top of the kitchen counter. "You can help me with dinner, though?"

Lizzie shrugged, genuinely disappointed that nobody had time to play with her. "When's Mommy gonna be home?"

Jane looked at her watch. "Any minute now."

"She's not gonna play with you either, Liz. She promised to help me with math," Riley said while she chewed on the back of he pencil.

Lizzie crossed her arms and looked angry. "Nobody wants to play with me!"

"We're a little busy now." Jane threw a pile of green beans into a pan of water and placed it on the stove.

Lizzie pouted and huffed. She uncrossed her arms and jumped off the counter, eliciting a glare from Jane. "Whoa! Careful baby, that's way too high for you!"

"You put me on it!" Lizzie shot her mother a furious look before she turned around and ran upstairs. "Nobody wants to play with me!"

Jane sighed and decided to let Lizzie stew in her own juice for a while. She shook her head and grabbed a few pieces of chicken from the fridge.

"Hello, my loves!" Maura opened the front door and smiled at her wife and daughter.

"Hi." Riley smiled when Maura walked towards her and kissed the top of her head.

"Math?"

"Yep."

"Any progress?"

"Nope. None whatsoever."

Maura hummed and stepped around the counter towards her wife. "We'll go over it, it'll be okay." She cupped Jane's cheek and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Hi," she whispered, looking deeply into her wife's eyes.

"Hi." Jane smiled at her wife's big, sparkling hazel eyes and wrapped an arm around her waist to get another taste of her lips. "I missed you."

"You saw me at lunch, Jane." Maura tilted her head and chuckled when Jane pouted. "But I missed you too."

Jane pulled her wife close around her waist and captured her lips in a loving kiss, one that lingered for more seconds than they expected. Maura hummed contently. She brushed Jane's dark curls back and stroked her cheek. "How's dinner coming along?"

"I still don't know how you managed to make me cook dinner." Jane turned back to the chicken she was baking and stirred the beans that were cooking in the water.

Maura chuckled. "I just have that power over you."

"Clearly." Jane shrugged and carefully picked a bean to taste it. "Although could you take over for a while? I gotta talk to Lizzie."

Maura nodded and took the spoon from her wife. "Something wrong?"

"She's upset that nobody had time to play with her."

"Oh, we play with her all the time."

"Yeah," Jane nodded and squeezed Maura's side for a moment. "I just have to go tell her that."

Maura hummed and turned a piece of chicken. "Give her a kiss from me."

"Noted." Jane walked upstairs to see Lizzie lying on her stomach on the floor of her bedroom, her head resting on her arm as she lazily moved her toys around.

"Hey, baby," Jane smiled and walked into her daughter's room. "Mommy's home."

Lizzie didn't reply.

"C'mon, honey. What's wrong?"

Lizzie sighed and didn't move her attention away from the toy in her hand. "Are you gonna have a new baby?"

The question startled Jane and she furrowed her brow. "Why do you ask?"

Lizzie's bottom lip quivered as she slowly sat up. "Are you only gonna play with the new baby?"

"No, honey." Jane smiled and opened her arms to pull Lizzie in between her legs while she sat down on the edge of Lizzie's bed. "We're not getting a new baby anytime soon. Maybe someday, but not now. And even if we do, we'll always try to make time for you. I promise."

Lizzie nodded and fumbled with the buttons on Jane's shirt.

"Tonight is just busy, baby. Mommy and I have to catch a really, really bad guy at work so we're very busy. Riley has very difficult homework and Mommy has to help her with that. So, you have to play on your own for a while."

"I wanna play with Riley," Lizzie said softly. "Or with you."

Jane smiled and brushed Lizzie's messy curls out of her face. "I know, baby. But we don't always have time to play with you. We played with you aaaall weekend, remember? And now we're a little busy. So Mommy's gonna help Riley with her homework, and after dinner I'll have time for you and Mommy will be there for bedtime."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Jane pressed her lips against Lizzie's forehead and pulled back to look into light brown eyes. "Don't we always make it home before bedtime?"

The two women always made sure to be home to put the girl to bed. Bedtime was important to all of them. They chatted about Lizzie's day, read her a story, snuggled for a while… Those were the most precious moments of any day.

Lizzie nodded and leaned forward into Jane's arms. Jane smiled and squeezed the girl close. "I love you, baby girl. We don't always have time to play but we always, always love you very, very much."

"Ma!" Riley called from downstairs. "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!" Jane kissed Lizzie's forehead and cupped her face. "Are we good?"

Lizzie nodded. 

"You sure?" Jane tickled Lizzie's stomach and covered her face in kisses.

Lizzie giggled and squirmed out of her mother's arms. "Yeah we're good!"

Jane smiled when Lizzie grabbed her hand and followed her out of the bedroom. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too, Mama." Lizzie smiled and kept her strong hold on Jane's hand while they walked down the stairs, into the kitchen where Maura and Riley just finished setting the table.

"Hi, baby." Maura greeted Lizzie and scooped her off the floor to give her a kiss. "How was school today?"

Lizzie smiled and wrapped her arms around Maura's neck, always happy to have her mother back home. "Good. We played tag and I won."

"You did?" Maura smiled a proud smile and kissed the side of Lizzie's head before she put her down on a stepping stool in front of the sink so the girl could wash up.

"Yeah. I got Nick first and Nick's really really fast."

"Hm, I bet you're faster."

"Yeah, 'cause I got him!" Lizzie shook her head at her mother's stupid question and squirted some soap into her hand.

Jane ruffled Lizzie's curls as she walked past her and took the pan from the stove to put it on the table. "Hey, Liz? How about we try a bath after dinner?"

Lizzie shrugged and clapped her hands together under the stream of water. "Do I have to?"

"No, baby," Maura kissed the top of Lizzie's head and turned the water off before she could make a mess. "We'd just like you to try."

"Is you or Mama gonna come with me?"

"Of course."

Lizzie nodded and took the towel from Maura to dry her hands. "Okay."

Jane smiled at Maura and nodded. "I'm proud of you, baby."

And so, after dinner, Maura and Riley went to work on Riley's homework and Jane took Lizzie's hand to lead her upstairs.

"Hey, I have a new idea. How about we put you in the bath and then fill it slowly? That way it's not so scary because it's not a lot of water at once. And you can just tell me to stop the water and we'll stop."

"Okay." Lizzie seemed nervous as she unbuttoned her pants and stepped out of them. "Can I bring Buzz?"

"Sure." Jane chuckled when Lizzie took off in her underwear to get the toy from her room. When she came back, she helped the girl stepping out of her underwear and tossed it in the laundry.

She hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms and peppered her cheek in kisses, eliciting sweet giggles from the girl. "Ready?"

Lizzie nodded as her giggles slowly faded. Jane smiled and squeezed her close before she lowered her daughter into the still empty tub. She watched Lizzie clutching her toy as Jane turned on the warm water.

"You're doing great!" Jane smiled proudly when the bathtub started to fill. The water reached Lizzie's bum and she tensed at first, but when Jane caressed her cheek, she relaxed and smiled nervously.

The water had reached Lizzie's thighs and she still hadn't panicked. Jane was holding her breath while she kept her soothing strokes on Lizzie's cheek. "You're doing amazing, honey. I'm so proud of you."

Jane grabbed the bath foam and handed it to her daughter. Lizzie took it and grinned. "Can I do it myself?"

Jane chuckled, knowing Lizzie tend to put half the bottle in there if she got the chance. "Just this once."

Lizzie smiled brightly and seemed to forget all about the water for a moment when she squirted the flower-scented gel into the small amount of water. She splashed it around to create foam. When she wasn't satisfied with the foam in the tub, she squirted more and giggled when she squirmed her feet to create more.

"Oh great, now we have to go buy a new bottle!"

Lizzie giggled and covered Buzz Lightyear in foam. "Yep."

The water started going up her waist and Jane felt her muscles tensing. This was the point where she panicked last time. As soon as the water started getting up to her stomach, she freaked out. But she was busy with the foam and her toy now. She didn't even notice. The water was already past her bellybutton. Jane didn't want to comment on it, even though her heart was bursting with pride for her little girl.

"How much foam did you put in there, peanut?" Jane smirked. "Look at this!" She took a handful of it and put it on top of Lizzie's head, eliciting a squeal.

"Mama!" She furiously shook her head, sending the foam flying across the bathroom.

"Hey!" Jane laughed as she wiped the foam off her face and shirt. "Look what you did!"

Lizzie giggled and took one of her hands to grab more foam. She held it up and clapped her hands together in front of Jane's face. She clutched her stomach when she laughed, looking at her mother's curls and face covered in foam.

Jane smiled and did the same to Lizzie, eliciting even more deep laughter from the girl. The water was slowly creeping up her stomach. Lizzie didn't seem to notice. There was no fear in her body.

"You're amazing, baby." Jane smiled and wiped some foam off Lizzie's forehead before placing a kiss there.

"Buzz to the rescue!" Lizzie didn't hear Jane's words and splashed her toy through the water that was just below her chest, before bringing it back up to fly through the air.

"Buzz to the infinity!" She sat up on her knees and tried to move Buzz higher but she lost her balance and gasped, letting out a terrified scream. "MAMA!"

Jane was in time to catch her, making sure her head wouldn't touch the surface of the water. Lizzie looked at her mother with wide eyes and Jane brushed her wet curls out of her face. "I got you."

Lizzie noticed how high the water was and Jane saw fear creeping up in her eyes. "I want to turn it off, Mama."

Jane nodded and turned the water off immediately. She waited for Lizzie to ask her to get out of the tub, but she didn't.

"You. Are. Amazing." Jane took Lizzie's head in her hands and looked deeply into light brown eyes. "You have any idea how proud I am of you?"

A smile appeared in Lizzie's eyes. Jane pressed her lips against Lizzie's forehead and smiled when she inhaled the scent of the flowery-foam and her baby girl. "I love you, sweetie."

Jane suddenly felt a splash of foam landing on her head, followed by deep, loud laughter from her daughter. She pulled back from Lizzie's forehead and gasped when she saw Lizzie's hands above her head where she had just clapped a big handful of foam.

Lizzie clutched her stomach and threw her head back, overcome with loud giggles. Jane smiled brightly at the beautiful sight. "Mama," Lizzie laughed, tears from laughter trickling down her cheeks. "You look silly!"

Jane smirked and tickled Lizzie's stomach in the water. "Thanks to you!"

"Well, this sounds good!" Maura's voice called out from the hallway. When she appeared in the doorway, she gasped and put her hand in front of her mouth. "Oh my goodness, look at you!"

Jane smiled proudly and watched Maura walking into the bathroom where she kneeled next to Jane and caressed Lizzie's cheek. "Did Mama let you put the foam in again?" she asked, tilting her head at the insane amount of foam in the tub.

Lizzie chuckled. "Yep."

Maura looked at Jane and shook her head. "I see." She smiled as she wiped a trail of foam away from Jane's cheek and hair. She looked into Jane's eyes and Jane saw a look of happiness and pride. Jane nodded and leaned forward to capture Maura's lips in a quick kiss.

They pulled away and Jane turned her attention back to Lizzie who was quietly playing with her toy and the foam in the water. Jane took a washcloth from the cabinet next to her and started washing Lizzie's body. She rubbed it across the girl's back and towards her front, smiling when she heard the sounds she was making with her toy.

"Mommies?"

"Hm?"

"Can I watch TV after bath?"

Maura hummed and looked at her watch. "Just for a little bit."

Lizzie nodded and scooted forward so Jane could wash her behind. When she was finished she grabbed a bottle of shampoo and the showerhead. She turned it on but Lizzie shook her head and pushed it away.

"No more water, Mama!"

"Oh, I'm sorry baby." She took out the drain plug and waited until the water was lower before turning on the showerhead again. She tilted Lizzie's head back and wet her hair before massaging the shampoo into her curls, all the while Maura was chatting with the girl to distract her.

"Oh, please don't forget the conditioner," Maura said when Jane moved to turn off the showerhead. "We won't be able to get a brush through her hair if you don't use it."

Jane hummed. She forgot it quite often and it always led to Maura having trouble brushing Lizzie's hair and a crying Lizzie because of the torture of brushing knotted curls. By the time she was finished, Maura pulled out the plug and stood up to grab a towel, holding it open while Lizzie stepped out of the tub.

She kneeled to envelop the girl in her arms and wrapped her in the towel. "I'm so incredibly proud of you, my love." She smiled and kissed Lizzie's cheek. "You're very brave."

"I was just a little scared. But not a lot like last time."

Maura nodded and cupped Lizzie's face, stroking her flushed cheeks with her thumbs. "You are very, very brave."

"You think I'm never gonna be scared again?" Lizzie asked, pulling the towel around her shoulders while Jane used a different one to dry her hair.

"I don't know, baby." Maura rubbed the towel on Lizzie's arms and back to dry the girl off. "Maybe you'll be scared every now and then, but that's okay. You were scared today but you did it anyway, didn't you?"

Lizzie nodded and grinned proudly. Maura smiled and moved the towel in between Lizzie's legs. Lizzie spread her legs and tilted her head. "But I was just a little scared today. What if I'm a lot scared next time?"

"Then we'll help you."

"I was really a little scared," Lizzie said quietly but with a proud smile on her face. "This little." She used her fingers to show a small amount, moving them only an inch apart.

"Oh, that is little." Maura kissed Lizzie's forehead and took the pair of panties Jane held out for her. She held it open and Lizzie used Maura's shoulder to steady herself as she stepped into them.

"What's this, Liz?" Jane asked as she grabbed Lizzie's pajamas. "You're gonna let Mommy dress you? You're not a baby, are you?"

"Nooo," Lizzie chuckled and took the pajama pants from her mother. "I'm six."

"That's right. Put on your own pajamas."

Lizzie pulled up her pants and pulled the pajama T-shirt over her head. It was a little too big for her but she looked absolutely adorable.

"Mom!" Riley called from downstairs. "I'm stuck!"

Maura sighed with a smile and stood up. "Brush her hair, please." She cupped Jane's cheek and kissed her lips.

"Will do." Jane smiled and grabbed a brush from the shelf, sitting down on the edge of the tub as she pulled Lizzie in between her legs to brush her hair.

"I did the bath, Mama." Lizzie's soft voice was laced with pride and happiness and it made Jane's heart swell with love.

"Yeah, you did. I'm very proud of you. You're amazing."

"Ow!" Lizzie pulled away from the brush but Jane steadied her.

"Oh c'mon, be a big girl."

Lizzie crossed her arms and looked angry while Jane continued to brush her hair. When she finished, she kissed the top of her head and tickled her pajama-clad belly. "All done." Jane turned Lizzie around and saw a smile back on her face. "Put on some socks and a sweater, okay?"

Lizzie nodded and hurried towards her bedroom, eager to watch as much TV as she could before bedtime. She put on a pair of socks and pulled a sweater over her head, almost walking into the wall as her head got stuck in the sleeve.

Jane chuckled and helped her find the right hole. "There we go."

"Thanks!" Lizzie hopped towards the stairs and ran downstairs to the TV to watch her favorite cartoon on Netflix.

Jane followed her daughter and smiled when she saw Maura and Riley at the dinner table. Riley was sitting in Maura's lap, Maura's arm wrapped around her stomach as she used her other hand to write down an explanation for Riley. Riley's brow was furrowed in thought and she nodded as Maura gave her another clue to get the answer to a problem.

"So, if you multiply X by two," Maura said softly, looking at her daughter, "then what happens to the value of Y?"

Riley sighed deeply. "I don't know."

"Okay, where do you get stuck?"

"Here," Riley pointed at her notebook. "I just don't get how you got to this number!"

Maura kissed the side of Riley's head and tightened her grip around Riley's waist. "Calm down, love. We'll get there."

Jane smiled at the sight and prepared a glass of juice for Lizzie before heading towards the couch, taking her laptop with her. She handed Lizzie her drink and opened her laptop while she sat down on the other end of the couch.

Lizzie crawled towards her mother and grabbed Jane's arm to put it around her shoulders, snuggling in her mother's side. Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's wet curls. Replying to e-mails with one hand would take longer, but she didn't mind.

Behind her, she heard Maura explaining the same problem over and over again with all the love and patience in the world. She admired her wife for it. Maura knew exactly how to explain it in a way Riley understood and if she didn't understand, she would just try all the other ways she could think of until Riley understood.

Jane smiled when Lizzie giggled about a joke made on television. She gently rubbed Lizzie's upper arm and felt the girl tucking her feet up on the couch as she snuggled into her mother's side. Jane felt a sense of bliss and love overwhelming her.

"Liz," Jane whispered with a smirk.

Lizzie looked up at her mother, her eyebrows raised above light, sparkling brown eyes.

"I love you."

Lizzie chuckled and turned her attention back to the television. "Love you too, Mama."

 _A/N I'm not really satisfied with this chapter but at least Lizzie did a great job in overcoming her fear. I still have to make up my mind about a third child, but it's not out of the questions since you're all so positive about it. I'm losing my flow a bit and I'd love some suggestions for this story! Like, little scenarios or anecdotes for this family, storylines you'd like to read. I'll try to use them if I can! Thank you all for reading this story that is so very close to my heart._


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Maura woke up from a deep sleep and heard soft whimpers coming from the other side of the bedroom. She opened her eyes and saw Riley standing in the doorway, her skinny arms wrapped around herself as she cried softly.

Maura lifted the covers on her side of the bed, inviting her daughter next to her. Riley walked towards the bed and slid in next to her mother, crawling into Maura's side as the blonde's arms wrapped around the girl.

"It was a bad one, wasn't it?" Maura whispered as she kissed the top of Riley's head, careful not to wake her sleeping wife.

Riley just nodded.

Maura felt that Riley didn't want to talk about her nightmare. "Come here," she whispered as she tightened her arms around the girl and pulled her head to her chest. "My love."

Riley sniffled softly as she kept on crying. She put one of her arms over her face and pulled herself tighter into Maura's arms.

"It's been a while since it was this bad," Maura whispered while she soothingly rubbed Riley's back.

Riley nodded. "Yeah."

Maura smiled a sad smile and placed her hand on the back of Riley's head while she kept her other hand on her daughter's back. "Sleep, honey. I'm here."

It took a while, but after a lot of quiet sobs, Riley finally relaxed and fell back asleep. Maura closed her eyes and allowed herself to give in to her exhaustion.

It only lasted a few minutes. Riley started squirming and Maura felt the girl's muscles tensing, her eyes squeezing shut as her breathing quickened. Maura sighed and gently shook her shoulders to try and wake her up. "Baby, wake up."

Riley's eyes shot open and as soon as she adjusted to the situation, she collapsed back down against her mother, crying softly. By falling back asleep, she just jumped right back into the nightmare.

Maura felt her heart breaking for her daughter. Riley was doing so much better. But sometimes, every now and then, she had a bad night like this. "God, baby…" Maura whispered with tears in her eyes. "I wish I could take it away."

Riley nodded but didn't reply.

Maura squeezed her arms around the crying girl and kissed her head. "You need to get out of it, honey," she whispered. "Would you like to get some hot chocolate?"

"'S okay," Riley mumbled through her tears. "I c-can get it myself."

Maura smiled. "Are you crazy?" She pulled Riley into her arms and guided her to sit up on the bed. "I'm not passing on a cup of hot chocolate."

"It's unhealthy." Riley showed a small smile through her tears and tilted her head.

"Yes well, don't tell anyone." Maura smiled and took Riley's arm to pull her up from the bed. She grabbed her robe and put it on, tying it around her waist before she pulled one of Jane's sweaters off a chair and pulled it over Riley's head.

Riley chuckled and pushed her arms through the sleeves. Maura kissed the girl's temple before they walked downstairs. Riley's tears slowly dried while she leaned against the kitchen counter and watched her mother preparing the hot chocolate.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Maura asked, stirring into one of the mugs.

Riley sighed. "It's stupid." 

Maura tilted her head. "It's not."

Riley sighed and looked down at her feet. "Robin and my dad teamed up on me."

Maura furrowed her brow as she handed Riley one of the mugs. "What did they do?"

Riley shrugged and allowed Maura to guide her towards the couch. "Beat me up. Burn me. The usual stuff."

Maura hummed and started a fire in the fireplace, the first fire of the season.

"I was here, in the living room but no one was home. They came in and dragged me out of the house. My dad said I'd never see you and Ma again and then he just started beating me up in the middle of the street."

Maura sighed and stood up after she got the fire going. "I'm sorry, baby," she whispered.

"People kept walking by but no one was paying any attention to us. Then Robin showed up and held me down on the ground while she kicked my sides so my dad could rip off my shirt and burn me."

Maura sat next to her daughter and saw Riley's blue eyes staring into her mug, her expression blank.

"I was paralyzed or something, I don't know. I couldn't walk or move… It's like my whole body was made out of jelly." Riley shivered and took a small sip of her hot chocolate. "I kept telling myself to wake up in my dream, but I couldn't."

"That's very common," Maura said softly, at lack for better words.

Riley nodded. "I woke up feeling all panicked."

Maura reached out her arm and brushed Riley's hair back, caressing her cheek for a moment. "I'm glad you came to us," she whispered. She leaned forward to kiss Riley's temple.

Riley nodded again. She shivered and smiled a sad smile when Maura put her mug away and opened her arms. The girl hugged her knees to her chest and leaned into her mother's warm side, tucking her head under Maura's chin.

They stayed silent for a few minutes while Riley sipped her hot chocolate, both staring into the fire of the fireplace. "It's getting so cold," Riley said softly. "I miss summer already."

Maura smiled and rubbed Riley's upper arm to get her warm. "Me too."

"You think we can go to the beach again this Christmas?"

"I don't know, baby. I'd like to."

"Me too." Riley smiled and traced the edge of her mug with her thumb. "Do you think Lizzie's gonna be afraid of the ocean?"

"Maybe a little. But she already took a bath, so that's good." Maura kept stroking Riley's arm and pulled her close into her side. "She might be scared at first but I'm positive she'll enjoy it."

Riley nodded. The flames of the fireplace danced in her blue eyes that were shimmering with left-over tears and faded pain. "Mom?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think I'll always have nighmares?"

Maura sighed and kissed the top of Riley's head. "I wish I knew, my love." She lifted her hand to place it on Riley's cheek, making gentle strokes while she stared into the fireplace. "I wish I could tell you that they will pass and you'll be completely free from them someday."

"But you can't…" Riley whispered, already knowing the answer.

"No." Maura swallowed and slightly shook her head, feeling Riley's tears under her fingers. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know memories will fade and the pain won't be like it is now. But there's a chance nightmares will always be your weak spot. Just like it is with your Ma."

Riley nodded and sniffled as she wiped her tears on Maura's robe. "Ma still has nightmares?"

"From time to time, yes," Maura replied quietly. "Some weeks are worse than others. Sometimes she goes weeks, even months without one, and sometimes she can't get through a single night without waking up from another awful nightmare."

Riley sighed deeply, knowing that this might be true for her as well.

"But," Maura lifted Riley's head and looked into her shimmering blue eyes, "she's so strong, honey. Just like you."

"Yeah I'll just need you to calm me down after a nightmare until I'm forty."

Maura chuckled and shook her head as she pulled her daughter back to their original position, her hand on Riley's cheek, her other arm pulling her close. "Even though I would gladly do that for you, I'm sure it's not true."

"The idea of having you as a nightmare back-up 'til I'm forty doesn't sound so bad, though." Riley smirked and dried her cheeks with the back of her hand after she drank the last of her hot chocolate. "But you gotta be still alive then."

Maura smiled a loving smile and kissed Riley's messy bed-hair. "I'd be approaching seventy, I sure hope so." Maura chuckled and stroked her daughter's cheekbone with her thumb. "I'll always be your nightmare back-up, my love."

"Imagine if that was a real job. That'd be so boring." Riley smirked and lifted her feet off the couch to put her mug on the table before snuggling back into Maura's arms. "And you'd never get any sleep."

Maura chuckled at Riley's suggestion. "If you're doing it for the ones you love the most, it's the best job in the world, honey."

Riley huffed. "Yeah, right. You're drinking unhealthy hot chocolate at three in the morning."

"I have one of the three most important girls in my life in my arms. I get to comfort my daughter, who I love with all my heart and more, and I get to show you that love." Maura kissed the top of Riley's head and saw tears in her eyes. "It's a great job."

Riley sniffled and nodded. "Too bad you don't get paid for it," she mumbled.

Maura laughed and tickled Riley's side. "Why do you always have to ruin my loving words with jokes?" She heard her daughter giggling and tickled her stomach. "You're just as bad as your Ma."

"No I'm not!" Riley grabbed Maura's wrists to stop her from tickling. "Ma's worse."

Maura hummed and pulled her daughter back in her arms, relaxing against the back of the couch. "You're right."

"When I first met you back at the adoption center," Riley said softly, lost in thought, "I was afraid I wasn't gonna like Ma."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know. She's so… tall and strong and badass…"

"Riley," Maura whispered, correcting her on the word 'badass'.

"Sorry." Riley shook her head and tucked her head back under Maura's chin. "She's kinda harsh sometimes and she scared me at first but then I found out she's actually really sweet and the most amazing mother I could ever ask for."

Maura hummed and smiled when she thought back to those first days they took Riley in as a foster-child, a young, insecure, broken teenager.

"I liked you right away though."

"You did?" Maura smiled and placed a quick kiss on top of Riley's head.

"Yeah, although it scared me that you looked like you had a lot of money and I was afraid you wasn't going to want me 'cause I had nothing." Riley shrugged and rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of Jane's sweater that was way too long for her. "But you're too sweet for that."

"I fell in love with you the minute we met you," she whispered, staring into the flames as she thought about that first meeting in a small, grey office. "Money doesn't have anything to do with that."

"I know that now," Riley replied softly, her voice getting sleepy.

"You looked so vulnerable and fragile, but at the same time I saw a kind of strength in you I had never seen in a fourteen-year old before." Maura felt her daughter relaxing in her arms, soothed by her mother's soft words and gentle strokes. "You were wearing a pair of very old, worn-out jeans and a thin, long-sleeved shirt. You were even skinnier than you are now and your eyes looked hard. They didn't sparkle like they do now."

"You saved me," Riley mumbled while she closed her eyes.

Maura hummed and nodded. They saved her from the foster system. Maura didn't like to think about what would have happened if they didn't. Maura and Riley developed an immediate connection when they took her in. Maura was soft, gentle and caring and Riley took to that. Jane was protective, straight to the point and tough. It took a while, but Riley felt safe with Jane and that was the most important thing for her at that point. She loved her mothers and needed both of them.

"I loved you the minute we took you in and the day we adopted you is still one of the happiest days of my life," Maura said softly, rubbing Riley's arm to get her to relax. "Along with the day I married your Ma and the day we adopted Lizzie, of course."

Riley smiled with her eyes closed. Thirty minutes later, Riley had fallen asleep in her mother's arms, finally free from nightmares. Maura had wanted to get her into her own bed, but she didn't want to wake the girl. So, she relaxed as best as she could on the couch, rested her head on top of Riley's and closed her eyes.

When sunlight started peeking through the curtains a few hours later, both Maura and Riley slowly woke up. Riley groaned softy and hid her face into Maura's chest, away from the sunlight. Maura looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was still early. The fire was out and the room was cold.

"Morning, love," Maura whispered. She kissed the top of Riley's head and pulled her girl close. "No nightmares, hm?"

Riley shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"We should get a few hours of sleep in our own beds."

Riley just hummed, not awake enough for a full reply. Maura smiled and pulled her daughter up from the couch. She pressed her lips against Riley's temple, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders as she saw her shivering. "Come on, sweet girl."

Riley followed her mother upstairs and accepted a warm hug and a kiss on her cheek when they reached her bedroom. "You know where to find us," Maura whispered.

Riley nodded. She yawned and wrapped one of her arms around Maura's neck. "Love you, Mom."

"I love you too, honey." Maura watched as Riley walked into her bedroom, wearing her pajama shorts and Jane's too large sweater, her messy hair falling down her shoulders. Maura smiled and walked towards her own bed, looking forward to her wife's warm body against hers.

She carefully slid in next to her detective, trying not to wake Jane, but she failed. Jane turned and smiled a sleepy smile. "Hey," she whispered, her voice husky from sleeping.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Maura pecked Jane's lips and curled up into her side.

"Where'd you go?" Jane mumbled, closing her eyes while her arms wrapped around her wife.

"Riley had nightmares." Maura turned on her side, her back to Jane as she wiggled into her wife's front. "I took her downstairs to talk, get her mind off it."

"She okay?"

Maura nodded. "Yes."

Jane hummed and tightened her arms around Maura's waist. "Good Mom."

Maura chuckled at her wife's sleepiness. "I love you, Jane." She turned her head and pressed her lips against Jane's, catching her off guard since her eyes were still closed. She smiled into the kiss when Jane accepted it. She turned her body and deepened the kiss, eliciting a sigh from her wife.

Jane broke apart and shook her head. "It's too early for making out, Maur."

"It's never too early for making out," Maura whispered, placing a kiss against her wife's jaw.

"Mauraaa," Jane whined.

Maura smirked and stopped her playful assault. She snuggled back into Jane's arms, curling up in her side. She didn't think she would get a lot of sleep, but she didn't mind. Being in her lover's arms was enough.

Lizzie had a day off the next day, due to a sick teacher. Maura was able to stay with her in the morning, but she had to attend a meeting in the afternoon so Angela would be stopping by.

Maura was currently sitting in the warm water of the bathtub, Lizzie on her legs while the girl played with a plastic boat and an old Barbie doll. After the successful bath a while ago, Maura decided to try to get Lizzie into an already full bathtub, but there was something about the sight of the surface of the water that frightened the little girl. She panicked and only calmed down in Maura's arms. The logical solution was to get in with her. She started out with Lizzie in her lap and slowly lowered her legs along the way. The water was just reaching Lizzie's waist and Lizzie hadn't panicked yet.

"I never was on a boat before, Mommy," Lizzie said as she moved the plastic toy through the water.

Maura hummed and soothingly rubbed Lizzie's belly with one hand while the other smoothed her damp curls.

"Were you ever on a boat before?" Lizzie asked, trying to fit the Barbie doll into the boat.

"Yes, I was."

"Was it fun?"

Maura smiled. "It was alright." She remembered the expensive cruise she once took with a former boyfriend. His name was Leonard and he was a friend of the Isles-family. She stayed with him because she thought she loved him. But after a while, she realized she only stayed with him because he loved her. The cruise was loaded and they had broken up a few days after.

Lizzie leaned back against Maura's front, not even flinching when Maura lowered her legs further, bringing Lizzie further down in the water. "Can we go on a boat?"

"I don't know, honey. Maybe." Maura kissed the top of Lizzie's head and caressed her belly in the warm water. "Would you like to?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I think I'm gonna be scared of the water."

"I don't know about that, baby. You're doing so much better!"

Lizzie nodded and relaxed in her mother's arms, soothed by the warm water and Maura's comforting strokes. "I was scared at first," she said softly.

"Yes, but look at you now." Maura rested her cheek against Lizzie's temple and looked at her little girl. "You're so brave!"

"I'm just scared when it's a lot of water at once."

Maura smiled and kissed her daughter's temple. "That's very self-aware. You're a smart girl, honey."

"What's self-ware?"

"Self-aware. It means you know yourself very well."

"Oh." Lizzie shook her head. "Of course I know myself! I'm Lizzie!"

Maura laughed and felt her daughter shifting in her arms, resting her head against her mother's chest. Without noticing it, Lizzie's bum was on the bottom of the tub. The water reached above her waist. Maura decided to let it slide, not wanting to alarm Lizzie.

"I know, I just mean you know your fears and the depths of it."

Lizzie shook her head. "You're talking too smart again, Mommy."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"'S okay. You're the smartest Mommy in the world."

Maura smiled and rested her chin on top of Lizzie's head, loving the skin-on-skin contact with her little girl. It soothed her daughter and Maura soaked it in while she was still young enough for it. "Thank you, my love."

"No, not in the world." Lizzie's face turned into a mischievous smirk, like she did when she got a great idea. "In all of space too!"

Maura chuckled. "There's no way to verify that, but I'm flattered. Thank you, honey."

"You're welcome." Lizzie snuggled into Maura's chest and traced the swell of her breasts with her small fingers. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"When am I gonna have boobies?"

Maura smiled. "Not for a while, baby. In six to eight years, I think."

"That long?" Lizzie lifted her head and looked at her mother with wide eyes.

Maura chuckled and brushed her messy curls out of her face. "You're only six!"

"I'm _already_ six." Lizzie crossed her arms and tilted her chin.

"Oh yes. Of course." Maura kissed Lizzie's forehead and felt her resting back against her soft chest while her hands played with the boat in the water. "Don't be too eager to grow up, honey. Boobies are great but so is being a little girl."

"They're soft and squishy." Lizzie chuckled and poked her mother's breast.

Maura laughed and pulled Lizzie's hand away. "Don't do that, baby. It hurts and it's quite inappropriate."

"Why?"

"It's a private part of the female body."

Lizzie furrowed her brow and decided that her mother was talking too smart again. She shook her head and pushed her hands forward in the water to look for her Barbie doll. Maura smiled. She didn't even hesitate to lean into the water of the tub.

After a few more minutes Maura really had to get ready for work. She got out, wrapped herself up in a towel and washed Lizzie's hair and body before telling her to dry herself.

"Can I wear my puppy-shirt, Mommy?"

Maura finished drying herself off and put on her robe. "Yes, you can. Do you mind taking care of that yourself? I really need to get ready for work."

"Yeah! I'm _already_ six!" Lizzie smiled proudly and bounced out of her towel, her hair still dripping on her back while she hurried down the hall towards her bedroom.

Maura chuckled at the sight. "Put on a T-shirt underneath, it's going to be cold today!"

"'Kay!"

Twenty minutes later, Maura stood in front of the mirror, applying her make-up while Lizzie sat on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling in front of her. "When can I wear make-up?" she asked, looking at her mother in the mirror.

"Oh, not for a very long time," Maura answered with a smile. "You're pretty all on your own, baby. You don't need make-up."

"You're pretty on your own too, Mommy. Why do you put on make-up but I can't?"

Maura sighed. She should have seen that one coming. "Because you're too young."

"Why? I'm six."

"Yes, that's too young. Riley doesn't wear make-up either and she's fifteen."

"Yes she does!" Lizzie said, crossing her arms. "On the lips and sometimes the eyes."

Maura applied some blush on her cheeks. "Well, when you're fifteen, you can do that too."

"That's…" Lizzie counted on her fingers but shook her head when she couldn't add up the years. "So long!"

Maura chuckled and put away her brush. "Yes, it is. How many years?"

Lizzie's brow furrowed in thought as she counted on her fingers. "Nine!"

"Exactly." Maura smiled proudly and applied some light lip gloss.

Lizzie straightened her back and grinned. "Can I wear make-up when I have boobies?"

Maura shook her head at her daughter's endless questions, a slight smile curling her lips. She loved how her little girl was always eager to get to know everything. "Why don't we handle that when that is in order, okay?"

Lizzie was about to protest but she jumped off the bed when she heard Angela's voice coming from downstairs.

"Hello!" Angela called out. "I'm here! Where's my little daredevil?"

"HERE!" Lizzie ran across the room and hurried downstairs towards her grandmother.

Maura smiled to herself, took one last look in the mirror and pleased with what she saw, walked downstairs to head to work. She grabbed her medical bag and her purse and walked towards Lizzie and Angela. Lizzie was bouncing on the couch, chatting with her grandmother.

"Thank you, Angela." Maura gave her mother-in-law a quick hug. "Jane should be home before dinner."

"Don't worry about it. You don't let me watch her often enough!" She smiled warmly at the little girl on the couch.

"Well, we like to make time free to spend with them."

Angela chuckled and squeezed Maura's arm. "I know, and you're doing great."

"Thank you." Maura smiled as she cupped Lizzie's face and pressed a few kisses to her cheek and forehead. "Bye, my love."

"When's you gonna be home?"

"I'll try to make it home before bedtime. Mama will be home for dinner. Okay?"

"Okay." Lizzie bounced off the couch and followed Angela into the kitchen. "Bye, Mommy! Love you!"

Maura smiled and shook her head as Angela took out some ingredients out of a paper bag she brought, obviously to make an unhealthy snack. "Bye. I love you too, baby girl."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"Hmm, Jane," Maura hummed contently as Jane pulled her on top of her, moaning slightly at the contact without the barrier of clothing.

Jane smiled smugly. "That good, huh?"

"God, yes." Maura lifted her head and captured her wife's lips in a loving kiss, their lips gliding together in a perfect rhythm. Jane's hands roamed across her wife's naked back, loving the feeling of her skin under her fingers.

"You're beautiful, Maur," Jane whispered as they broke the kiss. She moved her hands up and down Maura's sides, sliding over her perfect curves, feeling her wife's soft skin. "You're literally the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Jane's voice was a soft whisper and she felt her stomach tingling with arousal and love.

Maura smiled and looked into Jane's eyes with love and devotion. "Oh, Jane…"

"Your eyes are the most gorgeous in the world, like they have their own little galaxies in them and you have so much love in them, Maur…" Jane looked into those eyes she loved so much and saw love and happiness sparkling. She caressed her wife's sides up to her breasts and back down to her waist. "You have curves in all the right places and I'm so in love with your freckles. Especially this one," Jane pulled her wife close and placed an open-mouthed kiss to the freckle on her neck. "You're so beautiful, Maur," she whispered, her lips close to the blonde's ear. "I don't understand how someone can be this beautiful. On the outside and the inside."

Jane felt her wife sniffling against her and pulled back to see tears in her hazel eyes. Maura rested her head into the crook of Jane's neck as she caressed her wife's bare chest. "I love you so much, Jane."

"I love you too." Jane tightened her arms around her wife, thinking about how incredibly lucky she was to call this gorgeous woman her wife. "I missed this."

Maura hummed and nuzzled her nose into Jane's neck. "Making love on a Friday afternoon?"

"Yeah." Jane chuckled and tangled one of her hands in Maura's hair to keep her close.

"Me too." Maura lifted her head and kissed the bottom of Jane's jaw. "I miss having you all to myself sometimes."

Jane lifted herself slightly to sit up against the headboard, bringing her wife with her in her arms. "Maur?" she whispered quietly, insecurity showing in her voice.

"Yes?"

Jane swallowed and smiled a nervous smile. "I would really like to have another baby with you."

Maura sighed and moved off Jane to sit next to her and snuggle into her side. "I know."

"You know?"

Maura nodded. "You're restless. I see you looking at babies while we're out and I noticed you checked our file with social services."

"H-… how?"

Maura chuckled and tilted her head. "You're not the only one that's been working with the homicide team, Jane."

"Oh, so now you have detective-skills too?" Jane shook her head as she smiled at her wife's adorable giggle. "We haven't closed our file yet," she said, turning serious again.

"No, we haven't."

"Why?"

Maura sighed and wrapped one of her arms around Jane's stomach, making gentle strokes on her side. "Because we wanted to have the option of fostering another child." Maura rested her forehead against Jane's temple and closed her eyes. "I would love to take in another child, I really do."

"But…?"

"But I don't want us to have less time for Riley and Lizzie." Maura opened her eyes and looked at her wife. "They need us, Jane. I spend most of last night comforting Riley after a nightmare. Then I handled Lizzie's panic attack when she took a bath and then I had to work. And I know your days are pretty much the same lately." Maura sighed and showed a sad smile. "I don't want to have to tell Riley she has to deal with her pain alone because we are busy with another child. Or have Lizzie giving in to her fear because we don't have to time to help her overcome it."

Jane nodded. She knew all this. She knew Riley and Lizzie needed them and she didn't want to have less time for them either. "But… We could give another child a home, Maura," Jane whispered. "I get what you mean, and I agree. I really do. But think about how happy Riley was when she finally realized she was at home with us… And how Lizzie called you 'Mommy' for the first time because she really loved you as her mother. We could give that to another child, Maur."

Maura smiled through her tears and lifted her hand to caress Jane's cheek. "It would be good for Lizzie. She'd love to be a big sister and she'd be such a great role model."

Jane nodded, happy to hear her wife's positive attitude about this. "Yeah. And Riley would love to have two siblings."

"She would."

"And you have so much love for all the kids in the world."

Maura smiled a bright smile, one that made her dimples show and made Jane's stomach tingle. "So do you, Jane." She placed a light kiss on Jane's lips and looked into her eyes.

"How do you feel about telling Lauren to have a look out for us?" Jane asked, hesitant and careful.

Maura nodded. She smiled at her wife and rested her forehead against Jane's. "I'd love that. Maybe a little baby?"

Jane felt tears burning in her eyes when she saw the love that showed in Maura's hazel ones. "I don't even care. If there's another teenager out there who is in need of a home like Riley, there's nothing I'd rather do than give that kid a home."

Maura closed her eyes and hid her face back into the crook of Jane's neck. "You're right. Taking in Riley was the best decision of our lives."

Jane squeezed her arms around her wife. "Teenagers aren't so bad."

"Our teenager isn't." Maura chuckled and combed her fingers through Jane's curls as she gently kissed the brunette's neck.

"Speaking of kids," Jane said, taking a look at the alarm clock on the nightstand, "ours have to be picked up in a few minutes and we're naked in bed." 

Maura laughed and kissed Jane's lips before she untangled herself from her wife. She stood up and stretched, causing Jane to admire her wife's beautiful form. Maura put on her robe and opened the curtains, looking at the bright sunlight that streamed into the room. The sky was clear blue and it was cold. "I forgot to tell you," Maura said, turning around to look at Jane, "I told Lizzie no dessert if she went outside without a jacket again. We warned her several times and I thought I was time for consequences."

Jane nodded. "Noted." She reluctantly left the warm bed and went looking for her underwear that was thrown somewhere around the room in the middle of their passion. She was about to put on her bra when she felt two warm arms enveloping her in a hug.

Maura smiled as she pressed her lips against her wife's in a loving kiss. "I love you, my beautiful wife," she whispered against Jane's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Forty-five minutes later, both kids were picked up from school and Maura was making tea and pouring Lizzie some lemonade while Jane handed them a raisin cookie. She smiled slightly to herself at the domesticity of their lives now. It didn't happen often that both Jane and Maura had a weekend off and able to get out of work early on a Friday. She enjoyed her free time with her girls.

Oh yeah," Riley said while she turned on her chair at the dinner table. "I'm gonna go to a party with the team this Sunday afternoon."

"Na-ah, Sunday's family dinner," Jane replied, turning to look at her oldest daughter.

"So?"

"So, you promised you'd be there."

"I changed my mind."

"It doesn't work like that, Riley," Maura said as she walked towards her daughter to hand her a cup of tea. "You promised Grandma you were going to make tiramisu, remember?"

Riley sighed and took the cup from her mother. "But it's Anna's birthday and the whole team's gonna be there and I already told them I would come too."

"What time is it?"

Riley shrugged. "I don't know. We were gonna have pizza together for dinner."

"Well, in that case I'm sorry, but you already made dinner plans with your family."

"We have dinner every other week, Ma!" Riley put her cup down on the table. "Can't I just skip once?"

Jane sighed and looked at Maura, the look in her wife's eyes told her she should be strict with Riley. "If you told us ahead of time, you could've gone to the party. But in this case, you made a promise and you're going to keep it."

"I'll make tiramisu next time!"

"Riley," Maura tilted her head and looked into piercing blue eyes. "Stop protesting. You're not going, end of discussion."

Riley groaned. "But Mom, everyone's going to be there!"

"Your mom said, stop protesting." Jane's voice was soft and strict. "I suggest you listen to her."

Riley threw her head back and tried to find a way to protest after all, but the stern looks on her mothers' faces made her change her mind. "Fine."

Maura sighed. "I know you'd rather spend time with your friends, but you have to keep your promises."

"I know." Riley said, looking cranky.

Maura kissed the top of Riley's head and stroked her hair before walking around the table towards Lizzie who was pulling a notebook out of her backpack. "What did you do today, honey?" Maura asked as she sat down next to Lizzie.

Jane smiled and leaned back against the kitchen counter while she looked at her wife and youngest daughter. Maura had that loving sparkle in her eyes. That sparkle she had whenever she looked at her kids. She watched Maura brushing Lizzie's curls back and caressing her cheek while the girl talked. Lizzie held up her notebook and pointed at it with her finger, smiling when Maura smoothed her hair.

"Look," Lizzie said, turning the page, "we had to write what we wanna be when we grow up. I wrote _police._ " She pointed the word out and grinned up at Jane, who was wearing a proud smile on her face.

"You want to be with the police?"

Lizzie nodded. "Yep. I wanna catch the bad guys like Mama."

Jane smirked proudly and sat down next to Riley who was texting on her phone. "You'd be a great police officer, Liz."

"She could have a safe job…" Maura whispered, tilting her head as she looked at her wife. "Like maybe an accountant? Or a lawyer?"

"Oh, you mean a job where no one will be shooting at your kid?" Jane whispered back, a smirk on her face.

"Exactly." Maura shook her head and turned her gaze back to Lizzie who was asking for her attention.

"We also did math, Mommy!"

"Oh, how was that?"

"Good." Lizzie smiled and tilted her chin. "I got all of them right except for one."

"That's amazing!"

"Yeah!" Lizzie nodded enthusiastically and roamed in her backpack. "And then we got to draw the house we wanna live in, and look!" She got out a wrinkled piece of paper and smoothed with her hands on the table. "I made this! It's a house," she pointed at the top part of the paper, "but the downstairs is in the sea!"

"Oh, that would be cool." Jane smiled at the picture Lizzie drew. She drew a downstairs with what was probably a bedroom, but it was under water. She drew fish around it and little pieces of seaweed. The top part of the house, the living room and probably a kitchen, were above the water. "How would you get to the house, though? With a boat?"

"Yeah. Or swimming."

"And this is the house you want to live in?" Maura asked, smiling up at Jane.

"Hm hm. I'm not afraid of the water anymore."

"That's right." Maura kissed the side of Lizzie's head.

"But I'm first gonna live with you and Mama for a reeeeaaaally long time."

"Oh, thank God." Jane smirked and winked at her wife, watching Lizzie hopping off her chair to place the picture under one of the magnets on the fridge. "I was afraid you're thinking of moving out!"

"Nooo," Lizzie shook her head and giggled.

"That would be illegal, Jane."

"Yea- Joke, Maura." Jane heard Riley chuckling next to her and was happy to see she didn't seem as angry as a few moments ago.

"Hey, girls?" Maura asked, looking back and forth from Lizzie to Riley. "Mama and I are thinking about being open to fostering another child. How would you feel about that?"

"What's fostering?" Lizzie asked after she took a sip of her lemonade, climbing back up on her chair.

"Remember when you first got to be in our house?" Jane asked. "But you weren't adopted yet? We weren't our official mommies?"

Lizzie nodded.

"We were fostering you back then. That's what it's called when we're not officially your mommies, but we can take care of you and you can live with us."

"So… Is another kid gonna come live here?"

"Maybe." Maura smiled and smoothed her daughter's blond curls.

"You're gonna adopt another kid?" Riley asked, a hint of both excitement and hesitation sounding in her voice.

Jane shook her head. "We want to ask Lauren to keep an eye out for us so maybe we can start fostering another kid."

Riley nodded. "Cool."

Jane smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "We got to give you and Lizzie a much needed home and that made you and us so happy, so we'd like to do that for another kid too."

"It'd be cool to have another brother or sister." Riley smiled and Jane saw it was genuine. She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her daughter's temple.

"Can we have a brother?" Lizzie asked with a happy smile.

Maura laughed and wrapped one of her arms around the little girl. "I don't know, honey. It could be a boy or a girl. We'd love either one."

"But you already have two girls!"

Maura smiled and lifted her daughter into her lap while she brushed her hair out of her face with both her hands. "Yes, and do you have _any_ idea how much we love those girls?" Maura chuckled and peppered Lizzie's cheek in kisses. "Imagine how much we would love three girls!"

"I don't know Maur," Jane said with a smirk, "three girls? That's a lot of girls."

Maura laughed and wrapped her arms around Lizzie as she pulled the girl into her front. "I'd love a boy just as much."

"I know, I was kidding. Life doesn't let you pick the gender of your kids, right?" Jane smiled as she repeated her wife's words from a long time ago, back when they first met Lizzie.

"Ma?" Riley whispered, turning towards her mother as Lizzie started to tell Maura another story about her day in school.

"Yeah?"

Riley seemed uncomfortable and averted her gaze towards her lap. "I know you don't care how old the kid is and… I know that's not the point but… I uhm… Can you…" Riley shook her head and sighed in frustration.

Jane smiled a reassuring smile and caressed her daughter's cheek with the back of her hand. "It's okay, baby. Tell me."

Tears shimmered in Riley's eyes when she looked at Jane. "I don't want an older brother," she whispered. "I… I know I'm doing better and all but I just… That scares me. And I kow it's not my decision and you should totally do what you want for that but I… I don't know."

Jane smiled a sad smile and wrapped her arm around Riley's shoulders as she used her other hand to wipe the tears of Riley's cheek. Riley was uncomfortable and sometimes even scared around other men. After the unfortunate incident with Josh, a classmate that took her out to a party that ended badly, her fear increased. "I understand, honey. We weren't thinking about getting a kid in that age."

Riley nodded and hid her face into Jane's neck.

"We want a little brother or sister for you. Whether that means a baby, a toddler or an eleven-year old, we don't know." Jane kissed the side of Riley's head. "But it'll be your little brother or sister. Okay?"

Riley nodded weakly. "Okay." She groaned and wiped her tears. "I'm such a crybaby!"

Jane chuckled and winked at Maura to let her know everything was okay. "You're not. You're sensitive and strong."

"That sounds like two opposite things."

"It's not." Jane shrugged and rubbed Riley's back. "Your Mom's the same. She cries easily and she's emotional, but she's strong as hell." Jane smirked in relief when she noticed Maura didn't hear her profanity. "She'll be strong for others if she needs to and she knows how to handle her feelings. And you're the same."

"I don't always know how to handle them," Riley whispered.

"No well, you have us for that. I bet your mom didn't know either at fifteen."

"What?" Maura looked up, hearing her being referenced.

"I told Riley she's strong and sensitive like you."

Maura smiled and closed her eyes for a short moment as she rested her head against Lizzie's. "Riley is without a doubt the strongest girl I've ever met. And she knows that too."

"I'm strong too, Mommy!" Lizzie protested immediately.

"Oh, yes of course." Maura laughed and tickled Lizzie's sides as she squeezed the girl in her arms.

"I can push Nick over!"

"You what?" Maura pulled back and looked into Lizzie's eyes. "You pushed someone?"

Lizzie immediately looked guilty, her cheeks turning red.

"Lizzie? Did you push someone?"

Lizzie's bottom lip quivered. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"'Cause he cheated."

Maura sighed. "You know very well you can't push someone, young lady."

"Yeah, doesn't matter if someone cheats," Jane added, slowly untangling herself from Riley. "That was wrong of you, Liz."

Lizzie started crying softly. "I'm sorry."

"Did you apologize to Nick?" Maura asked, placing her hand on Lizzie's chin to lift her head and look into her eyes.

Lizzie shook her head. "No."

"You are going to apologize to him first thing Monday morning. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise, Liz?" Jane asked, wanting to be sure.

"Promise, Mama."

"Good."

"And no TV tonight," Maura added softly, wiping Lizzie's tears with the palm of her hand. 

"No TV?" Lizzie looked at Maura with wide eyes.

Maura shook her head. "You broke a very important rule, baby. Violence won't be accepted in this house, not in any way."

Lizzie nodded and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

Maura smiled and wiped Lizzie's cheeks with her thumbs while she kissed her forehead. "You shouldn't be apologizing to me, honey. Nick is the one that deserves an apology."

"I'll say sorry on Monday," Lizzie said, knowing very well that she did something bad.

"Good." Maura pulled the girl back to her chest and gently rubbed her back while she shook her head.

"Sounds like she's gonna be a good cop after all," Riley said softly, smirking when she lifted her head from Jane's shoulder to look at her mother.

Jane chuckled and pinched her daughter's side. "Yeah. My mother always wished me a daughter like myself."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

It had been three weeks since Jane and Maura re-opened their file and told Lauren they were open to fostering another child. Since then, they had gotten four offers.

It broke Maura's heart to know there were this much children out there in desperate need of a home. Lauren picked the four that fitted best in their family, but she knew there were more children like this. Maura was sitting on the couch with her feet tucked under her legs while she browsed through the files.

Jessie. A five-year old girl from an abusive home. One of six children. Ryan. A three-year old boy whose father disappeared and mother is unable to take care of him. Karen. An eleven-year old girl who had been raised by her brother, but she needed a foster home because her brother would be moving away. And then there was that fourth file. The file of the unborn baby. A young, single mother without any money, unable to take care of a child. She didn't need someone to foster her child. She wanted someone to adopt her child. The father of the baby left her as soon as he found out she was pregnant and she couldn't go through with abortion. So she filed for adoption. She wanted her baby to have a chance in this world.

No matter how much they talked about it, they always came back to that fourth file. Maura knew that fostering would probably lead to adoption anyway. So why not adopt right away?

They hadn't shown the files to the girls yet. They wanted to make up their own minds first, but it turned out to be incredibly difficult. Maura wanted to take all of them in. She kept staring at their pictures. They all needed a home. They all deserved a loving family.

The sound of the front door opening startled Maura out of her thoughts and she smiled when she saw Jane and the girls entering, coming back from Riley's soccer game. Lizzie had begged to come with them that morning. She was supposed to stay home with Maura while she finished up her reports and prepared for a trial, but a soccer game was just way more fun for the six-year old so Jane took her with her. Maura didn't mind. She was able to work for a few hours before the files from the adoption center distracted her.

"Hi, loves." Maura smiled and closed the file in her lap, putting it away while she opened her arms for Lizzie who came bouncing towards her. "How was the game?"

"Riley won, Mommy!" Lizzie smiled proudly and Maura chuckled while she undid the zipper of Lizzie's coat.

"You did?"

"Yeah, 3 to 1." Riley threw her bag at the bottom of the stairs and took off her jacket. "I scored the winning goal."

"You should've seen her, Maur," Jane leaned down to kiss her wife's lips and Maura saw a proud sparkle in her dark eyes. "That goal was amazing! She passed it right across the defense and just kicked it in there like it was nothing."

"That's amazing!" Maura smiled proudly and kissed the top of Lizzie's head before telling her to put her coat away. She stoop up to walk towards her oldest daughter, cupped Riley's face and kissed her forehead. "Oh baby, you're freezing!"

Riley shrugged. "It's cold outside."

"Hm, and you didn't put your long-sleeved uniform on, did you?"

Riley grabbed a grape from the kichten counter and threw it in her mouth. "Nope."

Maura shook her head. "You're impossible." She laughed and rubbed Riley's upper arms while she placed a kiss on the back of her head.

Riley giggled. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Maura felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist from behind, Jane's lips pressing against her neck. Maura smiled and grabbed her wife's arms, holding her tight as they both watched Lizzie hopping towards her box of toys next to the fireplace. "I want that baby, Jane," Maura whispered softly. "I want to raise a baby with you."

She felt Jane smiling against her neck and she turned around to look at her wife, wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck. "But I only want it if we want it together. I already love all of those children."

Jane sighed and showed a slight smile. "I want to raise a baby with you too."

Maura felt a hint of relief and let out a loving laugh as she pressed a quick kiss to Jane's lips. "Babies take up a lot of time and we will have a newborn so it will be tiring, and I want to start working fewer hours to have all the time for the kids. I can't wait to change dirty diapers and bathe him or her and wake up every night to feed them and hold him or her against my chest and… and watch you holding that baby."

Jane chuckled at her wife's rambling and rested her forehead against Maura's. "I want all of that. With you. And our family." She tightened her arms around Maura's waist and pulled her close. "You really want to work fewer hours?"

Maura sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes. No, I mean… I love my job. I'm proud of what I achieved academically but I love my family more."

Jane nodded and lifted her hand to caress Maura's cheek.

Maura leaned into the touch. "When I'm at work, I want to be home. And when I'm at home, I'm constantly thinking about work. If I work fewer hours, I think I'll be more balanced. I would _love_ to be able to pick Lizzie up from school everyday."

"But Maur…" Jane whispered hesitantly, "you're the Chief Medical Examiner. I mean…" She sighed and shook her head. "I'm so, so proud of everything you've achieved and you're the most brilliant woman I know."

"Yes, but I'm also a mother."

Jane nodded. "And a damn good one."

"I know you can't work fewer hours. But I can."

"I could if I wanted to… Or- Okay, no. It would lead to only paperwork and I'd hate that."

"Exactly." Maura chuckled and brushed Jane's dark curls back. "I could hire a bigger staff. I'd still be the Chief ME, but I'd do less autopsies."

"And more paperwork."

Maura shrugged. "I don't mind."

"But you love smelling stomach contents."

Maura laughed while she cupped Jane's face and stroked her cheekbones with her thumbs. "I do. But I also love to just sit in my office and go through autopsy reports while Lizzie plays with her toys and Riley reads a book and hopefully later with a beautiful baby in my arms. I'd love that, Jane. I want to be with our family. I'd choose the title 'Mommy' over 'Chief ME' every time."

Jane swallowed and nodded with tears in her eyes. "You're amazing at both."

"It's not like I'd be giving up my job. I will always be sniffing stomach contents. Just a little less than I used to."

"The girls are gonna be so happy," Jane whispered, a single tear of happiness trickling down her cheek. "I can't wait to see Lizzie's face when you tell her you're gonna be able to pick her up from school more than you are now."

Maura nodded and smiled a bright smile at her wife's emotional response.

"They love you so much, Maur," Jane whispered. "They're crazy about you."

Maura shook her head and pulled her wife in for a tight hug, her arms squeezing around Jane's neck as she hid her face into the detective's shoulder. "They love us both," she replied quietly. "And I love you so much."

"I love you too." Jane pulled back to capture Maura's lips in a loving kiss, a kiss that lasted for minutes and tasted like tears and heaven.

They broke the kiss when Riley walked downstairs, wearing a warm sweater and jeans, her hair wet from the quick shower she took. Maura smiled at the sight and looked at her wife. "Should we tell them?"

Jane nodded.

"Girls?" Maura asked, untangling herself from Jane to turn towards her daughters. "We have something to tell you."

"Oh! Are we getting a brother?" Lizzie asked, bouncing up and down.

Maura chuckled and patted the couch, inviting the girl to sit down. Riley took place in one of the chairs and looked expectantly at both her mothers. "We don't know yet."

"We uhm, Jane searched through the files and grabbed the one from the unborn baby. "There's a pregnant woman in Boston, but she can't take care of her baby. So she put the baby up for adoption."

"What does that mean?" Lizzie asked, furrowing her brow.

"It means that once the baby is born, she wants it to have different parents."

"She's not gonna be a Mommy herself?"

"No."

Lizzie's face lit up as the realization hit her. "Are you gonna be the baby's mommies?"

Maura smiled and brushed Lizzie's curls back. "Yes."

"We're getting a baby?" Riley asked with a bright smile as she straightened her back. 

"Yeah, we are."

"REALLY?" Lizzie sat up on her knees and jumped up and down.

Maura laughed and felt Jane sitting next to her and squeezing her hand. "Yes, really. The woman picked us based on our file, so we just have to fill in the papers."

"She doesn't want to meet you guys first?" Riley asked.

Jane shook her head. "She wants a closed adoption. She looked at our file, saw that we have enough money and two other kids, steady jobs and the right age… So she picked us. We got her file a few weeks ago."

"She only picked you?"

"No, a few others too. But none of them have given a positive reply yet."

"So… We're getting a baby." Riley smiled a bright smile and Maura felt tears in her eyes at the sight of it.

"I'm gonna be a big sister!" Lizzie was jumping up and down and crashed into Maura as she wrapped her little arms around her mother's neck.

Maura laughed and pulled the girl into her arms. "Yes, you are." Maura kissed the side of Lizzie's head and smiled at her enthusiasm. She pulled back to cup Lizzie's face and look into her eyes. "And, I'm going to have a meeting at work, to make sure I can work fewer hours."

Lizzie's smile fell and she furrowed her brow. "What's that mean?"

Jane chuckled. "It means Mommy's gonna be home more often, picking you up from school and be home at dinner."

Lizzie's entire being lit up with a bright smile and Maura swallowed a happy sob at the sight of it. "Really, Mommy?" Lizzie asked, her young face glowing with happiness.

Maura nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek as she looked at her happy little girl. "Yes. I want to be home with you and Riley and later, the baby."

"You're gonna be home at every dinner?" Lizzie asked with a smile, putting her hands on Maura's cheeks to look into her eyes. "And pick up from school?"

Maura laughed. "I can't promise I'll be there for _every_ dinner. But I'll definitely be home more often."

"Yeah!" Lizzie smiled the brightest smile in the world and threw her arms back around Maura's neck, squeezing so hard Maura could barely breathe.

"But Mom," Riley said softly, "you can't quit your job, can you? You're like, the boss over there."

Maura smiled and placed her hand on the back of Lizzie's head to keep her close. "I'm not quitting. I'm asking for fewer hours. I'd be working on fewer autopsies and more on reviewing reports and preparing for trials. I'd hire an assistant ME and I'd work at the precinct in the mornings, until it's time to get you girls from school and then I'd work from home."

"You got it all figured out, huh." Riley smirked and brushed some wet hair out of her face.

Maura nodded and untangled one arm from Lizzie to reach out to her oldest daughter, inviting her in for a quick hug. Riley stood up to accept it and smiled when Maura kissed her cheek. "I'm really happy you're gonna be home more."

"Is Mama gonne be home too?" Lizzie asked, pulling away to look at Jane.

"At first when the baby comes," Jane replied. "But then I'm gonna go back to my normal hours. It's harder for me to work less 'cause the bad guys don't take half days, y'know? And I hate paperwork."

"Yes, you're aaaaalways cranky when you have to type on the computer." Lizzie nodded firmly as she stated the truth.

Maura laughed and pecked Jane's cheek. "Oh she knows you, Jane."

Jane hummed and tilted her head. "Not sure I like that."

Maura chuckled and pulled Lizzie closer while she hid her face into her daughter's blond curls. Lizzie squeezed her small arms around her mother's neck and Maura felt the girl smiling against her. "I'm really, really happy you're gonna pick me up from school, Mommy. And for dinners."

Maura felt tears in her eyes as she closed them. She had no idea her daughters wanted her to be home so badly. She knew they loved to be with Angela and they genuinely had a great time with their grandmother. But she was indescribably happy to know they preferred their mother. Especially Lizzie's happiness touched her heart. "I'm happy too, baby," she whispered. "I love to be with my girls."

"When's the baby gonna come, Mommy?" Lizzie asked, straightening her arms around Maura's neck to look at her mother.

"Oh, it will be a while." Maura smiled and brushed her daughter's hair back. "A few more months."

Lizzie pouted. "That's long… Is it gonna be that long before you're gonna be home more?"

Maura lowered her arms around Lizzie's small waist and smiled at the beautiful girl in her lap. "I think so, yes."

"Aahh, really?"

Maura chuckled. "Yes. I have to take care of a lot of things!"

Lizzie shrugged and shifted to curl up in her mother's lap, leaning sideways into Maura's front. "'S okay," she said softly, "now we can be excited for it for a reaaally long time."

"That is true," Maura replied with a sweet smile. She looked next to her and saw a loving sparkle in her wife's eyes as she looked at their youngest daughter.

"Mom?" Riley asked softly from the other end of the couch.

Maura turned her head and her smile fell when she saw Riley looking through the files on the table. "Oh honey, those are private."

"What about these other kids?" Riley asked, not paying attention to her mother. She looked at the picture of one of the girls and traced it with her finger. "They don't get a home?"

Maura sighed deeply. "We're not the only foster home, baby. There are others."

"But there weren't others for the baby we're gonna have."

Maura heard her wife sighing next to her and she watched Jane standing up and gently taking the file from Riley. "No, and I can't promise you there will be others for these kids. But honey, we can't take in all of them."

"I know." Riley finally looked away from the file and Maura saw anger in her eyes. "You're just picking the cute baby over the damaged kids." She shook her head and swallowed hard while she stepped away and wiped her cheeks while she hurried upstairs.

Maura closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the back of Lizzie's head, feeling like a heavy ball just dropped to her stomach.

"Is Riley mad?" Lizzie whispered.

Maura sighed deeply and swallowed a lump in her throat. Yes. Riley was mad. Riley was mad because she spent years at the adoption center, watching people picking adorable little children over her, a troubled teenager with an abusive past. And now they had done the same. They picked a newborn baby over the five-year old girl from an abusive home. They picked the baby over the eleven-year old with no parents. They picked the baby over the three-year old boy who no one cared about.

Suddenly Maura doubted if they had made the right decision. Yes, they were giving this baby a chance in this world, but were they denying those other children their chance? There were plenty of people wanting to adopt a baby. Jane and Maura just got lucky the woman picked them. But who picked Jessie, Ryan and Karen?

"Maur," Jane whispered, placing her hand on Maura's upper back. "She's just upset. This is her first reaction, you know?"

Maure opened her eyes and looked into brown eyes. "What if she's right, Jane? We picked the baby over those other children."

"We're giving that baby a chance and a loving home."

"But who does that for the other kids?" Maura asked, tears in her eyes.

"Babe," Jane chuckled and cupped Maura's cheek, "we can't take in all of them. I know they all deserve a loving home and family but we can't give that to all of them."

"I know." Maura shook her head and sighed deeply. "I just… I understand how she feels. She spent so long being overlooked, and now we are doing the same to other children."

"Maura," Jane brushed Maura's hair back and smiled lovingly, "it's not like we're walking past those kids. They don't know we got their files. They won't know we didn't choose to take them in."

"But I will." Maura put her hand on the back of Lizzie's head and sighed deeply. "We should go talk to Riley."

"Let's give her some time," Jane replied quietly. She pressed her lips against Maura's temple. "She's gonna be okay, Maur."

Maura nodded. "I know."

"Hey," Jane cupped Maura's cheek and turned her head to look into her eyes, "I love you."

Maura smiled and pulled Lizzie close into her lap while she leaned forward to kiss her wife's lips. "I love you too."

 _A/N To be honest, I could continue this story forever. Maybe I'll make this story a long one with more chapters, or maybe I'll pick up a fourth part in this series. Please tell me if you'd be interested in reading more about this sweet family! As always, suggestions are welcome and thank you so much for all your kindness and amazing reviews._


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"Riley?" Jane knocked on Riley's bedroom door and heard a muffled 'yes'. She opened the door and saw her daughter lying on her bed, her back towards her mother. "Baby," she said softly while she sat down on the edge of the bed, "I know you're upset. I understand."

"You don't."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat. "Okay, maybe I don't. But I do know where you're coming from."

"You don't!" Riley turned around and sat up. "You don't know what it's like to always be like, tenth choice! You don't know what it's like to watch people walking past you, rejecting you 'cause you're too old and too ugly, or damaged or whatever! It's always the cute babies and small kids that get parents! And I had to wait until I was fourteen!"

"Baby-…"

"Don't 'baby' me!" Riley stood up from the bed and balled her hands into fists. "I'm not a baby! I'm not cute and adorable, that's why I had to go through two foster families and wait for years before someone finally got the guts to take on a damaged kid like me!"

Riley's loud screams caused Maura to hurry upstairs, she was standing in the doorway with her eyes wide in pain and surprise. "Riley…"

Riley looked at Maura and shook her head. "You're doing the same," she said a little quieter. "All those other kids are like me and now they have to wait because no one wants them."

"Honey, we can't take in four kids." Jane said in a soft tone.

"No, but you can take in a baby 'cause everyone knows babies are cute."

"That's not why we want this baby."

"No? You're not feeling sorry for picking a damaged fourteen-year old? And now you want to make up for it by getting a baby?!" Riley screamed, tears streaming down her face. "No one picks the damaged kids!"

"Okay, that's it." Maura uncrossed her arms and walked towards Riley. She cupped her face and forced the girl to look at her. Riley tried to squirm away but Maura was stronger. "Calm down."

"You don't want the other kids!" Riley cried out, trying to pull away from her mother. "You picked the baby! You'd rather have a baby!"

"No, Riley!" Maura's voice was stern and she looked straight into Riley's eyes. "Stop it!"

Riley sobbed quietly and thick tears streamed down her cheeks. Maura sighed and pulled her hands away from her daughter's cheeks to pull the girl into her arms, resting against her warm chest. "Calm down, my love."

Heartbreaking sobs escaped Riley's body and she clutched her hands to Maura's blouse, crying loudly against her mother. "Y-you w-wanted a… a baby."

Jane looked into Maura's eyes and she saw a mixture of love and pain. She swallowed a lump in her throat and stood up from the bed, stepping towards her wife and daughter to place her hand on Riley's back. "Calm down, honey," Jane whispered after she kissed the back of Riley's head. She wanted to tell Riley how loved and wanted she was, but she wanted the girl to calm down first.

Riley put her hand in front of her mouth and swallowed her sobs, but that only led to a bigger breakdown. A tear made its way down Maura's cheek as she pulled Riley towards her bed, sitting down on the edge of it while she brought her daughter down to sit in between her mothers. "Shh, my love," Maura whispered, gently rocking Riley back and forth in her arms. "I'm here. We love you so much, honey. So, so much."

Riley nodded weakly. She wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater and took a deep, shaky breath. She sobbed quietly and hid her face into Maura's shoulder.

"Riley," Jane said softly but sternly, "look at me."

Riley turned her head and Jane met with shimmering bright eyes, bloodshot from crying. Jane cupped Riley's cheeks and wiped her tears with her thumb. "We don't regret adopting you. We'll never, ever regret that. Honey, adopting you…" Jane swallowed and smiled through her tears, "was the best decision we ever made."

"It is, baby," Maura whispered, gently rubbing Riley's neck and shoulders. "You made our lives so much better."

"The fact that we want to adopt a baby doesn't change that," Jane said softly, still looking into pained blue eyes. "It doesn't mean we regretted adopting you. We adopted a gorgeous, sweet and incredibly strong fourteen-year old and we got to see you grow even stronger. We got to take you into our home and we got to love you and take care of you… And we're so lucky for that, honey."

"We wouldn't change anything for the world, Riley," Maura added softly. She kissed the side of Riley's head and pulled the girl back to her chest. "I know it's unfair. I know it feels unfair."

Riley sniffled. "So unfair."

"I know, my love. I know."

"That baby gets to be born into a loving family," Jane said, taking Riley's hand in hers. "And it's loved before it's even born. And you had to wait so long for that."

Riley just nodded, indicating that Jane hit the right spot.

"And it's not like you think that baby doesn't deserve our love."

Riley shook her head to confirm Jane's words.

"It's not about that at all. It's just so unfair to you." Jane smiled a sad smile at her wife and squeezed Riley's hand in hers. "Because you went through so much pain and you had to wait so long for the things you have now."

"Baby's so lucky," Riley mumbled through her tears.

Jane chuckled. "Yeah."

"Honey," Maura whispered, pulling back to look at her daughter, "you are _not_ damaged. You keep saying that and I know you feel that way, but you're not damaged."

"I am." Riley shrugged.

"You're not." Maura shook her head and tilted Riley's chin to look into her eyes. "You've been through a lot of pain and your father tried to damage you but you came out of it stronger. He didn't succeed. You're way too strong to let him damage you. To let anyone damage you."

Riley shook her head. "Just look at my back," she whispered. "That's the definition of damage."

"Your scars," Jane said sternly, "are the definition of strength. They show how much you have overcome and how incredibly brave you are. You survived that, baby! That's what you conquered!"

Maura smiled and wrapped her arms tighter around her daughter. "You're not damaged. You're our daughter because we wanted to give you the love and the family you deserve. We chose you as our fourteen-year old daughter because we love you more than anything in the world. That's it. Okay?"

Riley nodded.

Maura squeezed Riley close. "Okay, Riley?"

"Okay." Riley sniffled while she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath and pulled back to look at her mothers. "What's gonna happen to the other kids?"

Jane sighed. "They'll stay on the list of the adoption center, waiting for someone else to take them in."

Riley nodded. "Which could take a long time…"

"I'm not gonna lie," Jane replied softly, "it could take a while. Yeah."

Riley sniffled and rubbed her forehead. "I just feel sorry for them, y'know? I don't even know them but I know what they're going through."

"Yeah," Jane kissed Riley's temple. "I know, baby. But you don't know, maybe there are people like us out there who want to take them in." Jane smiled as she rubbed her daughter's back. "It could all work out for them, just like it did for you."

Riley smiled at her mother. "I'm sorry I got so mad," she whispered. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Jane smiled. "It's okay. I understand where it came from."

Maura placed a kiss on the back of Riley's head and combed her fingers through her long, straight hair. "We wouldn't change a thing, baby," she whispered, gently brushing her daughter's hair. "Not a single thing."

Riley nodded. She smiled up at her mother but looked over her shoulder when Lizzie entered the bedroom. The girl looked shy and a little uneasy.

"Hi, honey," Jane greeted her with a smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded and walked around the bed, standing sideways in between Jane's legs.

"I'm not mad, Liz," Riley said, knowing how uneasy Lizzie got when the people around her were upset.

"No?"

"No." Riley chuckled and shook her head.

Lizzie sighed in relief and looked at Maura who was starting to braid Riley's hair, something she did as both a sign of affection and because she genuinely loved to turn Riley's long, straight hair into a beautiful French braid.

Jane saw Lizzie brushing her own hair out of her face, trying to smooth her messy curls, which were so similar to Jane's.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Can you braid my hair too?" Lizzie asked, still smoothing her own unruly blond curls.

"Oh, you have such difficult hair baby!" Maura answered with a smile. "How about a ponytail? You look so pretty with a ponytail."

Lizzie shook her head and her facial expression dropped. "No, no ponytail."

Maura looked at the little girl over Riley's head and furrowed her brow at Jane. "What's wrong, baby? You never want me to do your hair!"

Jane shrugged. Lizzie always whined when one of her mothers brushed her hair or tried to tie it into a ponytail. And now she wanted a braid? Which took a long time and involved a lot of tugging? Something was off. "Why do you want Mommy to braid your hair, baby?" Jane asked softly, gently caressing Lizzie's cheek with the back of her hand.

Lizzie looked down at her feet and fumbled with the hem of her sweater. "'Cause I want hair like Riley's."

"Why?" Jane asked. "Your hair is beautiful!"

"No!"

Maura sighed and stopped her movements in Riley's hair to look at her youngest daughter. "What makes you think it's not?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I don't wanna say."

"Liz." Jane tilted her head and took Lizzie's chin to make her look into her eyes. "Did someone say something mean to you?"

Lizzie's eyes widened slightly for a second before she looked back down at her feet. "I dunno."

"C'mon, baby," Jane said softly but urgently, "talk to me."

Lizzie shook her head.

Jane sighed and rested her forehead against Lizzie's temple. "Hey," she whispered into Lizzie's hair, "Come on, honey. What's wrong, huh? Was someone mean to you? Did something happen?"

Lizzie slowly nodded, comforted by her mother's arms around her and Jane's voice close to her. "Chase said my hair's ugly," she whispered barely audible. "He said curls are stupid."

Jane hummed. "I think that's a very stupid thing to say for Chase, honey."

"He doesn't know what he's talking about Liz," Riley added with a sweet smile. "I think your hair's awesome."

Lizzie shook her head. "It's stupid."

"Hey, since when do you believe things like that?" Jane asked softly, brushing her hand through Lizzie's hair. "It's not true, baby."

Maura took Riley's wrist and gently pulled the hair tie that was wrapped around it before tying the braid she made. She smiled at Lizzie. "I think your curls are very, very beautiful. They're the same as Mama's curls, aren't they?"

Lizzie looked at Jane's hair and nodded. She stroked her mother's hair with her small hand. "Mama's longer."

"Just a little," Maura replied. "It's pretty much the same. And I _love_ it."

"You said it's difficult."

Maura sighed deeply and shook her head. "I mean to tie it into a braid. That doesn't mean I think it's not beautiful."

"You're a beautiful little girl, baby," Jane said softly while she brushed some hair out of Lizzie's face, holding her hands on her daughter's face to look at her. "Don't you ever think otherwise. Okay?"

Lizzie nodded shyly.

Jane smiled and hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms to lift her into the air, covering her cheeks in kisses. "Okay?"

Lizzie giggled and squirmed in Jane's arms, causing Jane to let her go, the girl collapsing on top of her mother, laughing into Jane's chest. "Okay!"

"Good." Jane pulled Lizzie close and kissed the side of her head. "You're beautiful, baby. Absolutely beautiful. You have all your teenage years ahead of you to doubt that, don't start at six!"

Maura shook her head and chuckled at her wife's words. "Oh, don't encourage her Jane! She might go through puberty without insecurities about her appearance."

Jane hummed and allowed Lizzie to squirm off her lap. "Let's hope she will."

Riley was leaning comfortably into Maura's arms as she looked at her sister bouncing around the room. "Jeez, some kids can be mean. Why would that kid say something stupid like that?"

Maura sighed and caressed Riley's cheek with the back of her fingers. "I don't know, honey. Let's hope it doesn't happen again."

"I'll kick his ass if it does," Riley said firmly, looking at Lizzie who made her way out of the bedroom, scurrying off towards her toys, probably. "Stupid kid."

"Riley," Maura scolded her, "watch your language."

"Sorry." Riley shrugged and rested her head on Maura's shoulder. "I just think it's stupid some kid would say that. Lizzie's hair's awesome."

Maura hummed and winked at Jane with a sweet smile. "I agree. I _love_ curls." She smirked at Jane and slightly tilted her head. "Love them."

"Okay," Riley squirmed out of Maura's arms and furrowed her brow, "you're getting weird now."

Jane chuckled and smirked when she felt Maura threating her fingers in her dark curls. Maura giggled at the way Riley rolled her eyes. "I love curls."

"Yeah, yeah." Riley shook her head and tried to suppress a laugh. "Liz! Wanna play soccer?" she called out.

"Yeeeaaaahh!" Lizzie came running towards her sister, smiling happily. She took Riley's hand and dragged her out of the room. "But you gotta play nice!"

"I always play nice!"

"You never let me win!"

"Oh, so that's playing nice?" Riley asked, following her sister out of the bedroom. "Letting you win?"

Jane heard Lizzie humming to confirm Riley's words, followed by a laugh from the teenager. Maura chuckled, her hands still in Jane's hair as she gently massaged her scalp.

"She's only six," Jane said softly, "how is she already insecure about the way she looks?"

"Oh, I think it'll blow over," Maura answered before she pressed her lips against Jane's temple.

Jane nodded and wrapped her arms around her wife's waist. "Poor Riley though," she whispered. "I wish I could take all those doubts away from her. Why doesn't she see how much we love her?"

Maura sighed deeply. "I don't know," she answered softly. "I think she does, but she just needs to hear it every now and then."

Jane nodded. "She knows."

"And I don't mind telling her." Maura smiled and nuzzled her nose into the brunette's messy curls. "Just like I will never get tired of telling you how beautiful you are and how much I love you."

Jane smirked. "And how much you _love_ my curls?"

Maura hummed and giggled as she tangled one of her hands in said curls. "Exactly."

"I love you too," Jane replied sincerely. "Even without curls."

"Oh!" Maura pinched Jane's side and chuckled into the crook of her wife's neck.

"Kidding. You know I think you're drop dead gorgeous."

Maura hummed. "I do. Although I hardly think anyone would drop dead."

"Are you kidding? My heart skips a beat every time I look at you! I'm surprised I'm still alive 'cause I tend to look at you a _lot_."

"Well of course, we're married. It's only natural to be seeing a lot of each other." Maura shook her head. "I don't think your heart skips a beat though, you don't have any cardiac deviations."

Jane smiled at her wife's typical reply. God, she loved this woman. "You're adorable."

Maura chuckled and combed her fingers through Jane's hair. "Thanks." She turned serious and looked into her wife's eyes. "You're an amazing mother, Jane. I wouldn't want to raise three kids with anyone else."

"Me neither." Jane kissed her wife's perfect lips before resting her forehead against Maura's. "Three kids."

"I like the sound of it."

Jane nodded. "Me too."

"In a few months," Maura whispered, "we'll have a baby. A beautiful little baby."

"Maybe it's gonna be an ugly baby," Jane said with a smirk.

Maura shook her head. "He or she will be beautiful to me. No matter what."

 _A/N Sorry for the strange ending to this chapter. But wow, thank you all so much for the massive response I got on the last chapter! I'll definitely keep on writing with reviews like that! I decided to make a fourth part in this. This part will have one more chapter after this one._

 _I'm having a hard time coming up with titles; so if you have any ideas, please let me know! Something that fits into the style of Love makes a family, Home is in your arms and Family is forever. Thank you all so, so much for your kind words and for reading this story. This family is dear to my heart and means a lot to me._


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N Last chapter of this story! There will be a fourth part, I hope it will be up quickly but I can't promise anything. I'll let you all know! Thank you all so much for reading this story. I can't tell you how much it means to me. This story is special to me. It is a part of my own story and a way to process everything. The fact that you are out there reading and even enjoying it means the world to me. I can't even explain it. Thank you so, so much! I hope to see you at the next one!_

 **Chapter 35**

"Are you excited?" Jane asked, kneeling in front of Lizzie to tie a scarf around her neck. It was getting awfully cold outside and the small Rizzoli-Isles family was about to go visit a fair, carnival-type of event in Boston. Lizzie had been very excited about it all day.

Lizzie nodded. "Yeah. I wanna go in the Ferris wheel, Mama."

Jane smiled and kissed Lizzie's forehead as she finished zipping up her coat. "We'll see." She stood back up and looked over her shoulder to see Riley zipping up her coat. "Where's your Mom?"

Riley shrugged. "Getting a scarf."

"Still?" Jane groaned and walked towards the bottom of the stairs. "Maur! C'mon, we're all ready here!"

"I'm coming!"

Maura sighed when she looked at her wife at the bottom of the stairs. She was holding two scarves; she couldn't pick which one to wear.

"You look gorgeous with anything. Just pick one." Jane smirked.

Maura smiled and walked downstairs to peck Jane's lips. "Thank you." She hesitated for a few seconds before she tied a fashionable knot in a classy yellow scarf. "You ready, girls?"

"Yep!" Lizzie smiled and eagerly grabbed Jane's hand, dragging her to the front door.

Maura chuckled and put on her coat before grabbing her purse and the car keys. She kissed Riley's temple and pat her back, urging her towards the car. The fair wasn't far and the drive went by quickly, which was good for the very eager and excited six-year old in the backseat.

When Maura turned onto the parking lot, she heard Jane groaning next to her. The place was packed. They had to drive around for nearly fifteen minutes before they finally found a parking spot. 

Maura turned off the engine and unlocked the doors, stepping out of the comfortable warmth of the car. She immediately felt Lizzie's hand grabbing hers and smiled when she saw the girl holding Jane's hand on her other side. Large crowds made both Lizzie and Riley slightly uncomfortable and Maura worried if they would enjoy this afternoon. But she looked at Lizzie's face and saw an expecting, bright smile brightening it and she sighed in relief.

She felt Riley's arm looping in hers as the small family made their way off the parking lot. Maura smiled. She loved taking her family out like this. And soon, there would be a third child in this family. A baby.

She still doubted if they made the right choice sometimes. But she knew they wanted to raise this baby. And much to Maura's relief, Jessie, one of the girls in need of a foster home, actually was taken home by a different family last week. It put Maura a little more at ease. She felt less guilty about wanting a baby, about wanting to be there for all the milestones in its life and to raise a child for all its life.

The sound of cheerful music and chattering of a large crowd greeted them while they got closer. Maura felt Lizzie gripping her hand tighter as they were forced apart by a group of people passing them. "Go on with Mama, baby," Maura said to the little girl. "It's okay."

Lizzie nodded and looked up at Maura while she let go of her hand and followed Jane, Maura and Riley following close behind. Maura unhooked her arm from Riley and took the girl's hand in hers, squeezing comfortingly.

They walked past dozens of little stalls, looking at the mostly useless stuff being sold. "Mom," Riley said, just loud enough to hear over the loud chatter around them. She pointed at a few bracelets. "Can I buy one of these? The money goes to charity for schools in Kenya."

Maura smiled. Out of all the things she could have wanted, Riley wanted to do something to make the world a little better. "Of course, love."

Riley reached for the pocket in her coat but Maura stopped her. "Oh I'll pay for it, honey."

Riley shook her head. "I want to pay for it myself." She received her monthly allowance and even though it wasn't much and she didn't need much, she wanted to spend it on this bracelet.

Maura smiled. She kissed Riley's cheek and helped her pick out the most beautiful one. "I like the purple one," Maura said, pointing at the small bracelet.

Riley nodded, glancing at Jane and Lizzie who were looking up at the Ferris wheel that could be seen from where they were standing. She looked back at the stall and let her fingers glide over a bigger, yellow bracelet. "I like this one too, but I think it's too big."

Maura hummed. Riley's wrists were small and awfully skinny, she had to wear children's watches and bracelets or they had to be made shorter for her. "I think the blue one will fit you, though. I love that one."

"Which one?"

Maura pointed it out and Riley nodded with a sweet smile. "Yeah. That one."

She paid for it, received a flyer about the charity and Maura helped her put the bracelet on. It looked beautiful.

"Can I see?" Lizzie asked, taking Riley's wrist in her hand. "Oh, it's pretty!"

Riley nodded. "Thanks."

They continued to stroll along the stalls until they reached the fair. The place was completely packed. Maura looked at Jane and furrowed her brow, silently asking if they would go in. Jane sighed and looked at Lizzie who stood closely next to her. She shrugged.

"Let's just try," Maura said, looking at the large crowd in front of them while she took Riley's hand back in hers. "We can always go back."

Jane nodded and led the way into the crowd. But after only a few steps, Maura saw Lizzie reaching up her arms towards Jane. Jane picked her up in her arms and carried her against her front while she kept walking, pointing at a stall with a game with rubber ducks. Lizzie shook her head.

"Jane!" Maura called out, placing her hand on Jane's shoulder. "She okay?"

Jane nodded. "For now."

Riley shifted closer towards Maura as they waited until they could pass a loud carousel. Maura looked at her oldest daughter and saw discomfort on her face. She squeezed Riley's hand. "Are you okay, honey?"

Riley nodded, managing a small smile. "Fine."

"Would you like something to eat?" Maura looked at her watch. "It's about lunch time."

Riley shook her head. Maura could tell she just wanted to get out of there and if Maura were honest to herself, she wanted it too. The scene was too loud and everything was too crowded.

A large man bumped into Riley and the girl hid into Maura's side. "I wanna go, Mom," she said, her voice suddenly thick with tears.

Maura nodded. "Okay." She kissed Riley's temple and grabbed Jane's arm. "Jane, let's go."

Jane looked at Lizzie's head on her shoulder and saw the discomfort as well, causing her to turn around and head back towards the exit. Maura untangled her hand from Riley and hooked her arm in her daughter's, pulling the girl into her side. "It's okay, love. I'm here."

She saw panic rising in Riley's body and hurried out of the crowd. She looked over her shoulder and saw Lizzie's small body tensing up in Jane's arms. They hurried back past the stalls, towards the full parking lot. When they were out of the crowd, Maura felt Riley exhaling next to her.

Maura smiled and stopped in front of their car. She placed her hand on the side of Riley's head and pulled the girl into a hug. "I know that was hard for you. I had no idea it would be this crowded, honey. I'm sorry."

Riley shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't wanna ruin it for Liz."

"Oh you didn't, love." Maura smiled and looked at Lizzie who finally relaxed now that she was out of the crowd of people. "Lizzie isn't very keen on large crowds either."

Jane winked at Maura and stepped closer towards them. "Well, that was a great idea."

Maura chuckled. "How about we go find a quieter activity?" She pulled away and stroked Riley's cheeks with the back of her hand, happy to see she was able to contain her panic.

Riley nodded. "Yeah."

"The forest?" Jane asked, referring to the familiar forest where they used to take walks quite often.

Maura hummed. It was pretty cold for a walk in the forest, but at the same time it was incredibly beautiful outside. Leaves turned yellow and the air was crisp, the sky blue and the grass moist. She nodded and smiled as the sunlight illuminated her wife's sharp, beautiful features. "The forest sounds great. Girls?"

Riley and Lizzie both nodded, so the family made their way towards the small forest not too far away. After a short drive and a stop for some snacks and a few bottles of water, they parked the car and walked into the beautiful, quiet world of large trees, crisping leaves, pinecones and sunlight streaming through the branches.

This was the world her daughters liked. This was where they were comfortable; this is where they had fun. This is where they blossomed and became their true, beautiful selves. Maura linked her fingers with Jane's as they watched Lizzie hopping across the path to find the biggest pinecone, showing each of them to her older sister.

"In a few more weeks," Jane said softly, "we'll be pushing a stroller through here."

Maura smiled. "I can't wait."

"Mama! Look at this one!" Lizzie's eyes were wide as she ran towards her mother. "It's SO big!"

Jane chuckled. "Yeah, it's almost as big as your head!"

Lizzie compared the size of it and giggled. "Nooo."

"Liz!" Riley called out from a few feet away. "Check this out!"

Lizzie sped off towards her sister and Jane and Maura stood still as they watched them from the side of the path, Jane's arm wrapping around Maura's waist.

Maura rested her head on her wife's shoulder and smiled at the sight of her beautiful daughters. "It feels like our family will be complete with the addition of the baby," she whispered as she inhaled the cold autumn air. "Not that I think our family is incomplete in any way, but…"

"I know." Jane smiled and pressed her lips against Maura's temple. "It's already perfect but it feels like it'll be even more perfect when he or she gets here."

Maura nodded, feeling her stomach tingling with happy butterflies. She nuzzled her nose into Jane's dark curls and smiled at the sound of Lizzie's chatter, along with Riley's calm, clear voice. She was absolutely, head over heels and utterly in love with her family. Her gorgeous wife, their beautiful daughters and even with their unborn baby. She wanted nothing more than to spend her time with these people she loved so much and so unconditionally.

They continued their walk and hiked up a slight hill. Maura wasn't dressed for a hike in the forest, so as soon as they reached the top, they stopped at a bench, looking out over an amazing view.

Maura sat down, pulling Jane with her as they watched Lizzie and Riley standing in front of them, both looking out over the large field. The sun was low at the sky, turning the sky slightly orange. The scene couldn't be more perfect.

"Have something to drink, girls," Maura said while she offered them a bottle of water.

Lizzie turned around and climbed into Maura's lap, her back to her mother's front as she looked out over the field, putting the bottle at her lips. Maura rested her chin on top of Lizzie's head and handed Riley the other bottle as the girl sat next to Jane.

"It's beautiful out here," Riley said softly.

Jane hummed and nodded. "Your Mom and I came here pretty often before we got you girls."

"Why'd you stop when you got us?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know."

"I wanna go more often, Mama," Lizzie said as she screwed the lid back on the bottle.

"We definitely will."

"Can the baby come too?" Lizzie asked, looking up at Jane.

Jane smiled and brushed a few strand of hairs away that had fallen out of Lizzie's ponytail. "Of course. We can't leave the baby alone at home, can we?"

Lizzie giggled and leaned back into Maura's front. "Guess not."

"I can't wait to see the baby," Riley said softly.

"Me neither." Maura smiled a bright smile and felt tears burning in her eyes at the sense of bliss that overwhelmed her.

"You really don't want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" Riley asked.

Jane shook her head. "We're fine like this. We'll find out when he or she gets here."

"I don't care," Lizzie said, moving the water around in the bottle in her hands. "I think it can be whatever the baby wants to be."

Maura chuckled. "You don't want a brother anymore?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Yeah. But if the baby wants to be a sister that's cool too. 'Cause Riley's a really good sister so then I can have two good sisters."

Maura smiled as she squeezed her little girl close in her arms. She kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "I love you, baby girl."

Lizzie shifted to snuggle into her mother's arms. "Love you too, Mommy."

Maura looked over Lizzie's head at her wife and saw Riley leaning into Jane's side, both their faces lighting up with happiness. She pressed a kiss to Jane's cheek and smiled a sweet smile. "I can't wait to meet our baby either," she whispered. "I can't wait for our family to become even more perfect."

Jane smiled and turned her head to look at her wife. "Me neither."

Maura shifted closer to the brunette and leaned into her side, smiling when Jane's arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Guys," Riley whispered, pointing to the right. "A squirrel!"

Lizzie gasped and snapped her head to the point where Riley was pointing. "Oh!"

"Shh, you'll scare him." Riley smiled and slowly got up from the bench. "C'mon, let's see if we can get closer."

Lizzie slid off Maura's lap and quietly followed her sister. Maura smiled at the sight and crossed her legs while she snuggled into Jane's side. "It feels we're about to start a new part of our lives," she whispered, careful not to scare the squirrel away. "Even though we already have two kids. We already started the mother-part of our lives."

"Yeah, but those two can poop and eat on their own." Jane smirked. "A baby's a whole different thing."

Maura hummed. She laughed when Lizzie squealed as the squirrel ran away after someone broke a twig.

"Look what you did!" Riley said with a smile, attacking Lizzie with tickles. "You scared him away!"

"Did not!" Lizzie broke out in a fit of giggles and ran around the bench, away from her sister. The two started a loud and happy tickle fight, eliciting sweet smiles from their mothers.

Jane sighed contently and pulled Maura closer in her arms. "Maur," she whispered.

Maura looked up and met with familiar dark eyes. She smiled and cupped Jane's face, stroking her cheek with her thumb. Jane closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. "I love you, Maura."

"I love you too, Jane." Maura pressed her lips against her wife's for a quick kiss before turning her attention back to their laughing daughters.

Riley sat down in the grass and Lizzie plopped herself in between her sister's legs while Riley started showing her how to tie blades of grass in some sort of braid.

Maura smiled to herself at the idyllic moment in the autumn sun, here in the forest where her girls were comfortable and happy. Here in the forest where she and Jane took their first walk as a couple, followed by many, many more. Here where the sunlight lit up her daughter's beautiful faces, where she was happy and content.

And soon, she would be even happier. Sleepless nights, stinky diapers, loud cries and everything that came with a new baby. She couldn't wait. She couldn't wait to welcome a third child into their lives. She couldn't wait to love him or her as unconditionally as she loved Riley and Lizzie. She couldn't wait to raise this baby with the love of her life.

As Maura watched her daughters sitting there in front of them, the sunlight lighting up their faces as her wife's arms tightened around her, her heart swelled with bliss and love. This was her family. This was her life. This was her everything. She smiled. She couldn't wait for her family to become even more perfect.


	36. Final Author's Note

**Final Author's note**

 _The fourth part of this story will be called '_ _ **A mother's love'**_ _! Thank you all for suggesting titles! The new story will be uploaded soon. (Follow my account if you'd like an alert)._

 _Also, I've put on a poll to pick a name for the baby!_

 _You can find it on my profile. If you have other ideas, please let me know and I might add the names to the poll!_

 _Again, thank you all so, so much for your amazing support. You have no idea how much it means to me. I hope to see you at the next story._


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